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Who runs Thulamela?

A.S. Rambuda (ANC) is (Mayor The leader of the municipality. Councillors choose this person, not voters. So the seats each party wins decide who can lead.) of Thulamela, as of 16 Oct 2026. In 2021, the ANC 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 Thulamela.

Checked 16 Oct 2026. Sourced, not yet reviewed.

Photo: Thulamela · Azwi, CC BY-SA 3.0

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.).

A.S. Rambuda of the ANC is mayor. The 2023/24 annual report, from April 2025, and the municipal website list this mayor. We found no dated statement from 2026. In 2021, the ANC won 71 of the 81 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.), which is a majority. That has not changed.

What the sources said, by date

  1. As of 16 Oct 2026

    The Thulamela Local Municipality's website names 'CLLR Rambuda A.S' as Mayor.

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

    As of 8 Apr 2025

    The Thulamela 2023/24 annual report lists Cllr A.S. Rambuda as full-time Mayor and as chairperson of the executive committee. It also lists Rambuda as a PR (Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) of the ANC. A PR councillor holds a seat a (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) gets from its list, to match its share of the votes.

  3. As of 9 Nov 2021

    Athongozwidivha Sarah Rambuda was elected to the Thulamela council in 2021 as an ANC PR councillor. Rambuda's ANC list number was 20.

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How were the seats split?

Who holds the 81 (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 41 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 71, 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.

  • ANC71
  • EFF4
  • DA2
  • ACDP1
  • African People's Convention1
  • International Revelation Congress1
  • 1 other party1

Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 41. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. Grey dots are the other party, with 1 seat. 2 parties have no colour on record, so they are grey too.

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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 Thulamela 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

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

Thulamela has 41 (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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