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.).
A (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) of the DA and FF Plus governs Swellendam, as reported in October 2025. Francois du Rand (DA) was re-elected mayor in February 2025. In 2021, the DA won 6 of the 11 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). In a March 2023 by-election (a vote to fill one empty (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) seat) the DA lost a Barrydale ward to the ANC. This meant it lost its majority. In October 2025 the PA won Ward 6 from the ANC. After that, the seats were DA 5, ANC 4, PA 1 and FF Plus 1.
What the sources said, by date
As of 16 Oct 2025
The DA no longer had more than half of the seats in the Swellendam council after it lost a seat in Barrydale in 2023. A coalition of the DA and FF Plus governs the (Municipality The local government for your area. It looks after local services, such as water, rubbish removal and local roads. There are 257.).
As of 16 Oct 2025
The PA won Ward 6 in Railton, Swellendam, from the ANC in an October 2025 by-election, after the 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.) moved to the PA. The ANC fell to four seats, and the PA gained its first seat on the council.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 14 Feb 2025
Francois du Rand (DA) was re-elected mayor of Swellendam at a special council meeting. This was about two weeks after an ANC motion, supported by the FF Plus, removed him. Jasper du Toit Laubsher (FF Plus) was elected speaker.
As of 3 Feb 2025
After 2021 Swellendam was run by a DA and VF+ coalition, with a DA mayor and a VF+ 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).
As of 3 Feb 2025
A motion of no confidence (a council vote to remove the mayor or speaker) removed DA mayor Francois du Rand in late January 2025.
As of 3 Feb 2025
The vote for a new mayor tied 5 to 5. The VF+ speaker did not vote.
As of 3 Feb 2025
VF+ speaker Juan van Schalkwyk resigned on 3 February 2025. This left no mayor and no speaker.
As of 3 Feb 2025
Swellendam's council has 11 seats, and no party has more than half of them. The ANC and DA have five seats each, and the FF Plus has one. The council was run by a DA and FF Plus coalition.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 11 (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 6 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.
- DA5
- ANC4
- PA1
- FF+1
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 6. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour.
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 Swellendam 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
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
Swellendam has 6 (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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