No mayor yet? Who runs your municipality until the new council sits

Until your new council holds its first sitting, your municipality is run by its administration, led by the municipal or city manager. The outgoing mayor and councillors no longer hold political office, local government expert Dr Lulamile Mapholoba told the Sowetan: "Everybody who was in council, their time has ended" (Sowetan).

Services carry on in the meantime. "City managers are responsible for that to ensure that there is business continuity," Mapholoba said (Sowetan).

Does my town have a mayor right now?

In most places, not in the political sense. Mapholoba said outgoing mayors, members of mayoral committees and councillors stop exercising political authority once results are gazetted, while parties negotiate (Sowetan). The results were gazetted on Wednesday, 11 November (IOL).

Outgoing mayors have started saying goodbye. Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya thanked residents on Sunday as her term ended (The Citizen), and Mbhashe executive mayor Samkelo Janda issued a farewell message as the 2021 to 2026 council term closed (EC News Live).

Who keeps the water and lights on?

The municipal manager and staff. They stay in their jobs through an election, and their job now is to keep the municipality running without a break in service delivery (Sowetan).

CoGTA's new coalition guidelines back this up. They ask municipalities to have clear delegations so the administration can keep carrying out approved budgets, Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and service delivery programmes during political uncertainty (SA Government).

Report outages, billing problems and other faults the same way you did before the election, through your municipality's official call centre, app or website.

When will the new mayor take over?

CoGTA Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said coalition negotiations do not suspend or extend these deadlines (SA Government). Mapholoba said parties may still ask for the mayor's election to be postponed while talks continue, and that the Municipal Structures Act is not specific on how long that delay can be (Sowetan).

If a council is not formed in time, CoGTA says it must be dealt with under the applicable laws and procedures (IOL). Provincial MECs have been asked to monitor compliance and step in early where delays threaten how a municipality runs (SA Government).

Can the administration make big decisions without a council?

Day-to-day decisions, yes, within powers already delegated to officials. Matters the law gives to the council itself, such as adopting the annual budget, by-laws or the IDP, need the new council (SA Government; The Joburg Reporter). That is why the first sitting, and a stable coalition after it, matters for what happens to your rates and services next year.