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Find your ward IEC councillor lookupExplain SA CoalitionsWhy team up? And why is it tricky?
A coalition is two or more parties agreeing to govern together. Here’s how it works in a council.
An imaginary council · 10 seats · 6 for a majority
Most seats ≠ a majority
SA’s election system gives different parties a share of the seats. Sometimes none wins more than half. That’s a hung council.
A is the biggest. Four still isn’t six.
Make a deal. Vote together.
Parties negotiate who leads and what to do. Councillors elect the mayor and vote on budgets. Partners stay separate parties, but agree to work together.
Party A4+Party C2=Together6Enough seats. Now agree on a plan.
Who leads · What gets funded · How to settle disputesThe deal has to hold
Partners can disagree over policies, jobs or spending. A small party can tip the balance. If support breaks down, budgets and decisions can stall.
6 / 10back the deal
↑ 6 needed. No seats to spare.
What if Party C leaves?
4 / 10still back the deal
↑ Still 6 needed. Now 2 short.
C keeps its seats. A needs new support to pass a budget.
Why six? A council budget needs support from more than half of all councillors. Other votes can follow different rules. Losing a partner doesn’t automatically remove a mayor.
Your deal0 / 55 seats
28 to go28 for a majority
Some assembly required.I’ve brought the agenda. They’ve brought demands.
Who’s in?
Historical context
Hypothetical deal · Fictional scenario
Satire with sourced historical context. No affiliation or endorsement implied. Game context · Terms & liability limits · Report a concern
Beyond the game
Get involved in George
Follow the decisions. Raise a local priority. Your part in local politics can continue between elections.
Follow council decisions
Ask the municipal office for public council meeting dates, agendas and minutes. The Speaker’s office can help with attendance arrangements.
Municipal contact details What to look forHave a say on local priorities
Ask about ward meetings and opportunities to comment on the budget or Integrated Development Plan (IDP), which sets municipal priorities.
How to take part Municipal contact detailsAbout these local links
Notices and documents can cover past consultation periods. Check dates and submission instructions on the official page. After an election, confirm that a councillor directory covers the current term.
Official government directory. Ask for the Speaker’s office or public participation unit. Government directory ↗ · Link listed on 7 November 2026.
Madam Speaker
takes the floor.
“I’m Madam Speaker. Secretary bird. Keeper of the gavel. Please don’t make me use it.
Welcome to the bargaining table in George. One mayoral chain, several competing plans. You bring the partners. I’ll put the kettle on.”
The honourable cast
- Geordin Hill-LewisDA
- Gayton McKenziePA
- Cyril RamaphosaANC
- Corné MulderFF+
- ACDP
- Julius MalemaEFF
- GOOD
- PBI
Fictional scenario. Party cameos, not a full list of local candidates.
Rules, real politics & sources
Seat calculation & source
These are the ward and PR seats published by the IEC. The totals add up to all 55 council seats. Feed coverage and seat allocations are separate from the national declaration: missing figures remain missing and estimates remain estimates. Corrections and re-votes may follow. A seat majority does not establish a governing agreement or who will become mayor.
IEC result time: 06 Nov 2026, 11:36 SAST · Source figures ↗
Tap parties to reach 28 seats, then roll the dice for one fictional scenario. Every roll starts from your original deal. Previously drawn scenarios stay out of the deck until the applicable cards run out. Every party follows the same rules. A “key partner” is one whose departure would put your deal below the majority target. Plot twists do not change the real results or your selection.
A seat majority does not confirm a governing agreement. The game uses a fixed majority of all council seats; real council votes can involve different attendance and voting rules. The caricatures represent national party leaders, not local candidates.
Inspired by the kingmaker politics and shifting alliances documented in MISTRA’s Coalitions Barometer. In May 2023, Johannesburg elected Al Jama-ah’s Kabelo Gwamanda mayor with 139 votes: a small party can win a very big chair. City record ↗
Council government
Who has governed here
DA + FF+31 Jul 2023
DA + FF+21 Jun 2024
DA21 Nov 2025
ACDP + DA + FF+Feb 2026
Administrations & sources
MISTRA records the administrations that governed after the 2021 election, through 28 February 2026. The latest recorded administration is shown below, followed by its predecessors. Party roles and officeholders are recorded at formation; later changes may appear in the notes.
ACDPDAFF+
Members at formation · majority coalition · 21 Nov 2025 · recorded active at source cutoff
Inaugural mayor: B. Johnson (DA)
Source notes: Three of the fifty-five seats were vacant when this administration formed. All three were filled by by-elections in January and February 2026, and the Patriotic Alliance won all three.
- Source party seats do not sum to the recorded council size (vacancies or incomplete allocation).
The recorded partners in 2026
33 / 55 seats
Enough seats for a hypothetical majority · 28 needed
Hypothetical total for the recorded members at formation. Excludes outside supporters. It does not establish a current agreement, government retention, or a takeover.
4 recorded administrations · 2021–February 2026
- ACDP + DA + FF+
21 Nov 2025 → Active at cutoff · 28 Feb 2026
Members at formation. Inaugural mayor: B. Johnson.
Three of the fifty-five seats were vacant when this administration formed. All three were filled by by-elections in January and February 2026, and the Patriotic Alliance won all three.
Source party seats do not sum to the recorded council size (vacancies or incomplete allocation).
- DA
21 Jun 2024 → 21 Nov 2025 · Recomposition
Members at formation. Outside support: ACDP. Inaugural mayor: J. von Brandis.
- DA + FF+
14 Feb 2024 → 21 Jun 2024 · Vacancy
Members at formation. Inaugural mayor: L. van Wyk.
- DA + FF+
22 Nov 2021 → 31 Jul 2023 · Recomposition
Members at formation. Inaugural mayor: L. van Wyk.
Counted clarification: The DA reached 28 of 55 seats after the July 2023 by-elections. That outright majority was temporary: it lost ward 8 to the PA in February 2024. The DA–FF+ coalition ended in June 2024. The source’s phrase “governed alone from then” should not be read as continuous single-party government for the rest of the term.
Clarified 07 Nov 2026. MISTRA Coalitions Barometer II · George ↗ IEC · by-election results, 14 February 2024 ↗ George Herald · 27 June 2024 ↗
In the news
Coalition news · George
Since 4 November 2026 · From Google News
Showing saved headlines from 10 Nov 2026, 14:40 SAST.
- DA in George holds victory parade following LGE majority win
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- Battle for the Western Cape: DA warns of coalition chaos as rivals vie for votes
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- Stable local govt needs careful coalitions: Mulder
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