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.).
Mhlonishwa Masilela is executive mayor of Steve Tshwete, as the Mpumalanga provincial government's site showed in October 2026. This is a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions. Masilela was elected as an ANC (Ward councillor A person chosen by the voters of one ward to speak for that area on the council. You vote for them by name.) in 2021. We found no official or major news source on how the council is run now. We also found none on any change in 2026. In August 2024, Daily Maverick said the ANC ran a minority government (a government with fewer than half of the (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.)). It had the support of one independent (Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.). The (Municipality The local government for your area. It looks after local services, such as water, rubbish removal and local roads. There are 257.) 2025 councillor poster lists a speaker elected for the MHRF. A speaker is the councillor who chairs council meetings. The poster also lists an MMC elected for the EFF in 2021. An MMC is a member of the mayoral committee. In 2021, no (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) won more than half of the 58 seats, and none has since. The ANC has 21.
What the sources said, by date
As of 16 Oct 2026
Petros Mhlonishwa Masilela is executive mayor.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 11 Apr 2025
Mhlonishwa Masilela was executive mayor, the municipality's poster called '2025 Faces of Councillors' says. Selape Thato Mathunyane was council speaker, and Cacious Sihle Mashiloane was council whip. A whip is the councillor who keeps a party's members voting together. Zandile Joseph Ngubeni was MMC for Community Safety. An MMC is a member of the mayoral committee.
As of 30 Aug 2024
Mhlonishwa Masilela delivered the State of the Municipal Address as executive mayor on 30 August 2024. Thato Mathunyane was speaker. The parties in council were the ANC, DA, EFF, MHRF, FF Plus and one independent.
As of 29 Aug 2024
After 2021 the ANC (21 seats) runs a minority government (a government with fewer than half of the seats). It has the support of an independent councillor, which makes 22 of the 58 seats.
As of 29 Aug 2024
The ANC (21 seats) runs a minority government with the support of an independent councillor. Together they have 22 of the 58 seats.
As of 9 Nov 2021
In 2021 these people were elected in Steve Tshwete. Petros Mhlonishwa Masilela was elected as an ANC ward councillor for Ward 21. Selape Thato Mathunyane was elected as an MHRF PR councillor (a seat a party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes). Zandile Joseph Ngubeni was elected as an EFF PR councillor.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 58 (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 30 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.
- ANC21
- DA17
- EFF9
- Middelburg and Hendrina Residents Front7
- FF+3
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 30. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. 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 Steve Tshwete 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
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
Steve Tshwete has 29 (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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