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.).
Rankhedi Andries Tshukudu of the ANC has been mayor since 17 March 2026. On that day the council passed a motion of no confidence in mayor Tumisang Jacob Pilane. This is a council vote to remove the mayor or speaker. The council then elected Tshukudu as mayor. It elected Refilwe Daniel Mampeule as speaker. The 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. Tshukudu signs the 2026/27 IDP as mayor. The IDP is the council's plan for the years ahead. The council adopted the IDP on 27 May 2026. Pilane, of the ANC, was mayor from 12 December 2024 to 17 March 2026. In 2021, no (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) won more than half of the 23 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). The council was closed down early in October 2024. A new council was elected in December 2024. The ANC won 10 of the 23 seats. No party has a majority. So the 2021 seat numbers no longer apply.
What the sources said, by date
As of 27 May 2026
His Worship Cllr Rankhedi Andries Tshukudu is Mayor and chairperson of the executive committee, the Thabazimbi 2026/27 IDP says. The council adopted the IDP on 27 May 2026. Cllr Refilwe Daniel Mampeule is Speaker. The foreword is signed by Cllr RA Tshukudu, Mayor.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 21 Mar 2026
Thabazimbi held a special council meeting on 17 March 2026. It passed a motion of no confidence in mayor Jacob Pilane and the speaker. It elected Andries Tshukudu as mayor. It elected Daniel Mampeule as speaker. The article says both are ANC councillors.
As of 11 Sep 2025
Cllr Tumisang Pilane is named as Mayor of Thabazimbi Local Municipality. This was during the CoGHSTA MEC's visit on 11 September 2025. An MEC is a provincial minister.
As of 14 Dec 2024
Tumisang Pilane of the ANC was elected mayor of Thabazimbi at a council meeting on 12 December 2024. Pilane thanked the parties in 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.) government (a group of parties that run the council together). The ANC holds 10 of the 23 seats.
As of 5 Dec 2024
In the December 2024 election for all 23 Thabazimbi council seats, the ANC won 10 seats. The DA won 4, the EFF 3, the Labour Party 2 and the FF Plus 2. The MK Party won 1 and the Thabazimbi Residents Association won 1. No party has a majority.
As of 5 Dec 2024
After the December 2024 election, no party won more than half of the seats on the Thabazimbi council. No party reached the 12 seats needed to govern alone.
As of 4 Dec 2024
Thabazimbi held an election in December 2024. Rankhedi Andries Tshukudu won (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) 10 for the ANC. A ward is an area with its own councillor. Refilwe Daniel Mampeule won ward 3. It was for the Labour Party of South Africa.
As of 4 Oct 2024
The Limpopo Premier announced that the Thabazimbi council was closed down early. The Premier also announced that the province would take control straight away. The (IEC The Electoral Commission of South Africa. It runs elections. It is independent, so it does not take orders from the government or any party.) said elections for the whole (Municipality The local government for your area. It looks after local services, such as water, rubbish removal and local roads. There are 257.) would be held by December 2024.
As of 3 Oct 2024
The NCOP (the National Council of Provinces) approved the province's intervention in Thabazimbi. All nine provinces voted in favour.
How were the seats split?
Who won the 23 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) in 2021. A (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) needs 12 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.
- ANC11
- DA4
- Thabazimbi Residents Association3
- EFF2
- FF+2
- Thabazimbi Forum for Service Delivery1
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 12. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. 2 parties have no colour on record, so they are 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 Thabazimbi a qualified audit opinion for 2024-25. That is better than in 2023-24, when it got a disclaimer of opinion.
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
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at Thabazimbi in 2024-25, for the 13th 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?
Thabazimbi has 12 (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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