Tsantsabane: new RTC party takes Postmasburg with 7 of 13 seats

Rise Tsantsabane Communities (RTC) has won an outright majority in Tsantsabane Local Municipality in the Northern Cape, taking 7 of 13 council seats and sweeping every ward around Postmasburg. The count is complete at 100% of voting districts, according to Rateweb's IEC-based tracker (update 6 November 2026) and The Outlier.

Seven seats is the exact threshold to govern alone. RTC does not need a coalition partner to elect a mayor and speaker once the new council meets.

What are the Tsantsabane seat results?

Sources: Sunday World (5 November 2026), IOL (6 November 2026), Rateweb / IEC.

How large was the vote share?

Rateweb's live party table for the finished council shows:

Source: Rateweb Tsantsabane results (IEC data, 100% counted). EFF and PA each hold one proportional seat in the 13-member council (Sunday World, IOL).

RTC's ward sweep is what locked the majority. Even without more than half of the party vote, winning every ward seat gave it the seven seats needed to control the council.

Who is Rise Tsantsabane Communities?

RTC registered with the Electoral Commission on 18 February 2026, about nine months before election day (Sunday World, IOL).

It is led by Michael "Gogo" Mabilo, who stood as the party's mayoral candidate. The movement grew out of community protests over municipal infrastructure, jobs linked to the local mining belt, and service delivery in and around Postmasburg (IOL, Sunday World).

How does this compare with 2021?

In 2021 the ANC held an outright majority of 7 of 13 seats in Tsantsabane. Save Tsantsabane Coalition and the DA held two seats each, and the EFF held two (Sunday World).

This count cuts the ANC to three seats, all on the proportional list, with no ward seats.

What happens next for Postmasburg residents?

After the IEC formally declares the results, the municipal manager must call the council's first meeting within 14 calendar days. At that meeting the council elects a speaker, then a mayor (Sunday World; Municipal Structures Act process summarised by Daily Maverick).

With seven seats, RTC can elect those office-bearers on its own if its councillors vote together. Day-to-day services such as water, refuse and billing continue under existing municipal staff and budgets while the new political leadership is put in place (EWN).

Nationally, community and local parties also featured elsewhere in the count. IOL reported that only two of the early outright wins outside the big three parties went to breakaway outfits, naming RTC in Tsantsabane (IOL). Live metro and national figures continue to update on the IEC results dashboard and Rateweb.