Steve Tshwete council sits on 17 November to elect a new mayor

Steve Tshwete's new council will hold its first sitting on Tuesday, 17 November 2026, at 09:00, where councillors will be sworn in and elect a mayor, speaker and chief whip (Middelburg Observer). The Middelburg-based municipality has a hung council, so whoever wins those votes needs at least 30 of the 58 seats (Middelburg Observer).

Who called the meeting, and why now?

Municipal manager Mandla Mnguni gave notice of the sitting under section 29(2) of the Municipal Structures Act (Middelburg Observer). That section requires a new council's first meeting to be called within 14 days of councillors being declared elected (IOL).

The sitting is open to the public, but seating is limited, the public may not take part in proceedings, and the chamber doors close once the meeting starts (Middelburg Observer).

How many seats does each party have?

Source: The People's Register, using IEC seat allocations, Middelburg Observer

The SACP's one ward seat, Ward 17, was decided by a coin toss after the ANC and SACP candidates tied on 966 votes each (Middelburg Observer).

Who has been talking to whom?

The DA met the ANC last week about a possible co-operative governance pact, and parties were negotiating over the weekend (Middelburg Observer). The DA said it would consider any coalition agreement that benefits voters and the community (Middelburg Observer).

Nationally, the Council of the Left, which includes the EFF, SACP and MK Party, said on 12 November it will not support ANC-led coalitions that include the DA (EWN). Those three parties hold 10 seats in Steve Tshwete between them (The People's Register).

What happened last time?

In 2021, the ANC took the mayor's office after the DA abstained from the vote, which led to Mhlonishwa Masilela's election as mayor (Middelburg Observer).