Local municipality · Eastern Cape

Emalahleni

34councillors in office

17wards

ANClargest party, 2026 · 24 of 33 seats

Hands over · first council sitting

Council now, and the council coming in

34 seats now · 33 in the incoming council. Majority is 18. ANC reaches it on the official count.

PartySeats · now, then incomingChange

ANC

28 → 24 (-4)

2 → 4 (+2)

SACP

0 → 2 (+2)

EFF

2 → 1 (-1)

ILISO

0 → 1 (+1)

ATM

0 → 1 (+1)

IND

1 → 0 (-1)

UDM

1 → 0 (-1)

now, 2021 termincoming, 2026│ majority line

Ward councillors

17 wards

PR councillors now

17 seats

Proportional seats as elected in 2021. Parties replace PR councillors mid-term without the IEC publishing it; replacements are recorded as events where a source exists.

PR councillors from 2026 · expected

15 of 16 named

16 proportional seats in the council elected on 4 November 2026. 15 named so far; the rest follow when the IEC publishes its councillor list. Expected from the IEC certified party lists and the declared seat allocation (list order, skipping ward winners). Confirmed when the IEC publishes its councillor list.

How Emalahleni measures up

How we judge

Emalahleni meets 1 of 6 yardsticks

Judged against National Treasury's and the Auditor-General's own norms, latest figures, 2023/24. Not a rating: 6 separate answers. How we judge.

Clean books?

Well short

Qualified

An unqualified audit with no findings

The Auditor-General could not vouch for parts of Emalahleni's books.

Emalahleni holds under a month of running costs in cash. Treasury asks for three.

best in Eastern Cape29 of 33worst

2024/25 · was 87.8 months↘ slipping

Collects what it bills?

Meets the norm

286%

norm 95%

For every R100 Emalahleni bills, it collects R286. Treasury expects R95.

best in Eastern Cape3 of 33worst

2023/24 · was 298%↘ slipping

Looks after what it owns?

Short of it

7.6%

norm 8.0%

Emalahleni spends 7.6% of what its roads, pipes and buildings are worth on repairs. Treasury's norm is 8%.

best in Eastern Cape3 of 32worst

2024/25 · was 6.3%↗ improving

Spends the building budget?

Short of it

-15%

norm 0%

Emalahleni left 15% of its building budget unspent: projects planned but not delivered.

best in Eastern Cape12 of 33worst

2023/24 · was -19%↗ improving

16.4% of Emalahleni's spending was unauthorised, irregular, fruitless or wasteful. Treasury's target is none.

best in Eastern Cape21 of 33worst

2023/24 · was 9.9%↘ slipping

Treasury and Auditor-General detail

by financial year

For the whole 2021 to 2026 term, including every seat that changed hands, see the end-of-term report.

Audit outcome · Auditor-General, by financial year

2021/22Qualified 2022/23Qualified 2023/24Qualified

Cash coverage

0.0 mo2024/25

province median 4.3 mo · Treasury: bad

Debtor collection

285.6%2023/24

province median 22.8% · Treasury: good

Repairs and maintenance

7.6%2024/25

province median 1.9% · Treasury: bad

Capital budget spent

-15.4%2023/24

province median -35.2% · Treasury: bad

Wasteful expenditure

16.4%2023/24

province median 5.7% · Treasury: bad

Current ratio

2.692024/25

province median 1.86 · Treasury: good

The council's record, not any councillor's. Source: National Treasury Municipal Money and Auditor-General reports, fetched 11 Nov 2026. Financial years end in June.

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