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Who runs Saldanha Bay?

Marius Koen (DA) is (Mayor The leader of the municipality. Councillors choose this person, not voters. So the seats each party wins decide who can lead.) of Saldanha Bay. In 2021, no (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) won more than half of the (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) in Saldanha Bay.

Checked 16 Oct 2026. Sourced, not yet reviewed.

Photo: Saldanha Bay · TheDudeFromTheUpperEchelon, CC BY-SA 4.0

Checked 16 Oct 2026. Sourced, not yet reviewed.

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.).

The (Municipality The local government for your area. It looks after local services, such as water, rubbish removal and local roads. There are 257.) website names Marius Koen (DA) as executive mayor (a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions). The page has no date. It lists Thyrone Williams (GOOD) as deputy mayor. No source states the terms of 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.) (a group of (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) that run the council together). Mayor André Truter (DA) left at the end of January 2026. Acting mayor Charmaine Laubscher moved to the PA and resigned on 13 February 2026. The DA held both (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) by-elections (each a vote to fill one empty ward (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.)) that followed, in April 2026. They were in Wards 5 and 6. In 2021, no party won more than half of the 27 seats. The DA won 13, and no party has held more than half since then.

What the sources said, by date

  1. On the council's website, no date shown

    Marius Koen (DA) is executive mayor of Saldanha Bay. Thyrone Williams (GOOD) is executive deputy mayor, and Olwene Daniels (DA) is speaker (the (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 chairs council meetings).

  2. As of 23 Apr 2026

    The DA held Ward 5 with 88% and Ward 6 with 74% in by-elections in April 2026. The by-elections were caused by Laubscher's move to the PA and Truter's resignation.

  3. This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.

    As of 13 Feb 2026

    Acting mayor Charmaine Laubscher resigned on 13 February 2026, a day after moving from the DA to the PA. This left the council without a mayor or deputy mayor until it elected new ones.

  4. As of 30 Jan 2026

    Mayor André Truter (DA) stepped down at the end of January 2026 to take a private-sector job. Deputy mayor Charmaine Laubscher was to take over until a new mayor was elected.

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How were the seats split?

Who holds the 27 (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 14 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.

  • DA13
  • ANC4
  • GOOD4
  • EFF2
  • NCC1
  • PA1
  • 2 other parties2

Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 14. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. Grey dots are the 2 other parties, with 1 seat each.

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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 Saldanha Bay a clean audit (unqualified with no findings) for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.

This means its accounts and its reports on its work were right, and it followed the key laws.

Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026

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Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?

Saldanha Bay has 14 (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.

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