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.).
Martha Bartlett is executive mayor (a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions) in 2026, and Dipuo Peters is speaker. A speaker is 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. The ANC chose Bartlett as mayor, and the council elected her in December 2024 (News24, Diamond Fields Advertiser). OFM (April 2026) reports that the ANC's Frances Baard region calls both of them its deployees (members the (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) has placed in these posts). It said this after reports that they had resigned. On 20 April 2026, Bartlett changed the line-up of the mayoral committee (OFM). OFM spells the mayor's first name 'Barbara' in one article and 'Martha' in others. In 2021, the ANC won 33 of the 65 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). It lost its majority when the PA won Ward 1 in October 2023, which left the ANC with 32 of 65. It regained its majority when it won Ward 1 back in July 2025. The province placed the (Municipality The local government for your area. It looks after local services, such as water, rubbish removal and local roads. There are 257.) under a Section 139(1)(b) intervention (the province steps in to run the council) from 11 May 2026. The province ended it on 30 July 2026.
What the sources said, by date
As of 5 Aug 2026
Cogta MEC Bentley Vass (the province's minister for local government) ended the Section 139 intervention in Sol Plaatje. This happened at a special council meeting on 30 July 2026.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 13 May 2026
The Northern Cape executive council placed Sol Plaatje under a Section 139(1)(b) intervention from 11 May 2026. The team was led by provincial executive representative Thomas Mongwe.
As of 21 Apr 2026
Mayor Martha Bartlett changed the line-up of the Sol Plaatje mayoral committee on 20 April 2026. The mayor said the changes were to restore stability after repeated council meetings collapsed.
As of 7 Apr 2026
The ANC's Frances Baard regional executive committee said it supports Sol Plaatje executive mayor Barbara Bartlett and speaker Dipuo Peters 'as deployees of the movement'. It said this after reports that they had resigned.
As of 1 Jan 2026
Councillor Martha Bartlett is executive mayor and Councillor Dipuo Peters is speaker of Sol Plaatje, according to the municipality's January 2026 newsletter.
As of 24 Jul 2025
The ANC won Sol Plaatje Ward 1 back from the PA in July 2025. It regained its outright majority. The 65 seats are ANC 33, DA 14, EFF 6, PA 3 and Sol Plaatje Service Delivery Forum 3. The other seats are FF+ 3, GOOD 2 and ACDP 1.
As of 12 Oct 2023
The PA won Sol Plaatje Ward 1 in Roodepan Platfontein from the ANC in October 2023. The ANC fell to 32 of 65 seats. It lost its outright majority.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 65 (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 33 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. The ANC has 33, so it can 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 on its own.
- ANC33
- DA14
- EFF6
- PA3
- Sol Plaatjie Service Delivery Forum3
- FF+3
- 2 other parties3
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 33. 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 3 seats between them. One party has no colour on record, so it is grey too.
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 Sol Plaatje a qualified audit opinion for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.
This means some parts of its accounts had big mistakes, or it could not show proof for some amounts.
Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026
In July 2026, the Minister of Cooperative Governance told Parliament that the intervention at Sol Plaatje is ongoing. It began in May 2026, under section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution.
This means the province took over some of the council's work, because the council was not doing it.
Department of Cooperative Governance, 3 July 2026
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
Sol Plaatje has 33 (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)
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