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.).
Theodora Daniswa Mafumbatha (ANC) is mayor of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. The 2026/27 IDP (May 2026) and the 2024/25 annual report (2026) name her as mayor. An IDP is the council's plan for its work. In 2021, the ANC won 48 of the 64 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). The ANC has had more than half of the seats since 2021, and it still has 48. The ANC kept the seat in the March 2026 by-election (a vote to fill one empty (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) seat).
What the sources said, by date
As of 29 May 2026
(Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) T.D. Mafumbatha is mayor of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. The council has 32 wards and 64 councillors.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 27 Mar 2026
Councillor T.D. Mafumbatha was mayor of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and chaired the executive committee, according to the 2024/25 annual report. The mayor was an ANC PR councillor. A PR councillor has a seat that the (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) gets from its list, to match its share of the votes.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 64 (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 48, 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.
- ANC48
- ATM5
- EFF4
- Socialist Party of South Africa2
- Academic Congress Union1
- African Independent Congress1
- 3 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 3 other parties, with 1 seat each. 3 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 Winnie Madikizela-Mandela an unqualified audit opinion with findings for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.
This means its accounts were right, but the Auditor-General found other problems, such as broken laws or weak reports on its work.
Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has 32 (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)
Spotted a mistake? Report a mistake. Every change is logged on the Corrections page.