Which party controls the council?
Voters choose the (Council The group of elected people who make decisions for a municipality. They pass its budget and choose the mayor.). The council chooses the (Mayor The leader of the municipality. Councillors choose this person, not voters. So the seats each party wins decide who can lead.).
William Matsheke (ANC) was executive mayor (a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions) in May 2026. That month he was elected ANC West Rand regional chairperson. We found no official or news source from 2025 or 2026 that names the (Coalition Parties that agree to run a council together, usually because none has more than half the seats alone. Together they choose the mayor.) partners now. A coalition is a group of (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) that run the council together. In 2021, no party won more than half of the 69 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). The ANC won 32. In June 2022 it lost (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) 29 to the EFF. That left the ANC with 31 seats. After that, the PA and AIC worked with the ANC. They held posts on the mayoral committee, according to Daily Maverick (DM, June 2022). A mayoral committee is a team of (Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) who help the mayor.
What the sources said, by date
On the council's website, no date shown
The national government contact directory lists Cllr William Matsheke as Executive Mayor of Rand West City Local Municipality.
As of 19 May 2026
William Matsheke, mayor of Rand West, was elected chairperson of the ANC's West Rand region in May 2026.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 26 Feb 2026
West Rand District council minutes of 26 February 2026 mention 'The Executive Mayor of Rand West City Local Municipality, Cllr William Mathafeni'.
As of 31 Aug 2025
Cllr W. Matsheke was executive mayor and Cllr N. Molatlhegi was deputy executive mayor. Cllr S. Moumakwe was speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings). This is from the audited 2024/25 annual financial statements.
As of 2 Jun 2022
The EFF won ward 29 in Bekkersdal from the ANC. After that, the ANC had 31 seats, the DA 16, the EFF 12, FF+ 3 and the PA 2. Azapo, the RPP, the AIC, the IFP and the ACDP had 1 each. The PA and AIC work with the ANC and hold mayoral committee posts. The ANC needed the backing of the RPP or Azapo to keep control.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 69 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) now, counted up to 24 Jun 2026. A (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) needs 35 seats to run the (Council The group of elected people who make decisions for a municipality. They pass its budget and choose the mayor.) on its own. No party has that many. So parties must work together to choose the (Mayor The leader of the municipality. Councillors choose this person, not voters. So the seats each party wins decide who can lead.) and pass the budget.
- ANC31
- DA16
- EFF12
- FF+3
- PA2
- ACDP1
- 4 other parties4
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 35. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. Grey dots are the 4 other parties, with 1 seat each.
What has the council done?
We have not checked any claims about this (Council The group of elected people who make decisions for a municipality. They pass its budget and choose the mayor.) yet. That is not a mark for or against it.
Core servicesWater, lights, rubbish and roads: what your council runs.No checks yet
Housing and landHouses, informal settlements and title deeds.No checks yet
Safety and jobsCrime, metro police and work in your area.No checks yet
Governance and moneyCorruption, audits and budgets: how your council uses your money.No checks yet
What the official records say
From the Auditor-General and the national government. Every council gets the same checks. A council that is not on a list shows no row.
The Auditor-General gave Rand West City an unqualified audit opinion with findings for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.
This means its accounts were right, but the Auditor-General found other problems, such as broken laws or weak reports on its work.
Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at Rand West City in 2024-25, for the ninth year in a row.
This means there is serious doubt that the council can keep paying its bills and keep working.
Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
Rand West City has 35 (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.). You can only vote at the (Voting station The place where you vote, often a school or a hall. You can only vote at the one where you are registered.) where you are (Registered Your name is on the voters' roll. Registration for this election closed on 7 August 2026.).
Pick what matters to you and see which parties promised it, with a link to where it said so.
Take the quizFind your town to see your ward, your voting station and every name on your papers.
Or check with the IEC
- Who is my ward councillor now?IEC lookup. Shows your ward and who represents it now. (IEC website)
- Voting station finderIEC map. Find the station where you are registered. (IEC website)
Spotted a mistake? Report a mistake. Every change is logged on the Corrections page.