The Beaufort West Local Municipality council consists of thirteen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Seven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in seven wards, while the remaining six are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In the election of 1 November 2021 no party obtained a majority of seats on the council.
The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ANC | DA | ICOSA | KDF | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 election | 8 | 5 | — | — | — | 13 |
| 2002 floor-crossing | 8 | 3 | — | — | 2 | 13 |
| 2004 floor-crossing | 9 | 3 | — | — | 1 | 13 |
| 2006 election | 5 | 2 | 5 | — | 1 | 13 |
| 2007 floor-crossing | 4 | 2 | 5 | — | 2 | 13 |
| 2011 election | 7 | 5 | 1 | — | 0 | 13 |
| 2016 election | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| 2021 election | 4 | 4 | — | 1 | 4 | 13 |
See main article: 2000 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2000 election.[1]
See also: Floor crossing (South Africa). In terms of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution and the judgment of the Constitutional Court in United Democratic Movement v President of the Republic of South Africa and Others, in the period from 8–22 October 2002 councillors had the opportunity to cross the floor to a different political party without losing their seats.
In the Beaufort West council, one councillor crossed from the Democratic Alliance (DA) to the New National Party (NNP), which had formerly been part of the DA, while another DA councillor left the party to sit as an independent.[2]
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 5 | 2 | 3 | ||
| — | 1 | 1 | ||
| — | 1 | 1 | ||
Another floor-crossing period occurred on 1–15 September 2004, in which the NNP councillor crossed to the African National Congress.[3]
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the floor crossing periods in September 2004 and the election in March 2006.[4]
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 March 2005 | 1 | ||||
| 6 | |||||
See main article: 2006 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2006 election.[5]
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the election in March 2006 and the floor crossing period in September 2007.
The final floor-crossing period occurred on 1–15 September 2007; floor-crossing was subsequently abolished in 2008 by the Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution. In the Beaufort West council one councillor crossed from the ANC to the National People's Party, and the single councillor representing the Independent Democrats crossed to the Social Democratic Party.[6]
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 5 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| — | 1 | 1 | ||
| — | 1 | 1 | ||
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the floor crossing period in September 2007 and the election in May 2011.
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 March 2008 | 3 | ||||
| 5 | |||||
| 6 | |||||
| 21 July 2010 | 3 | ||||
| 5 | |||||
See main article: 2011 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.[7]
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the elections in May 2011 and August 2016.
See main article: 2016 South African municipal elections. The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[8]
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the elections in August 2016 and November 2021.[4]
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 May 2017 | 7 | ||||
| 21 February 2018 | 2 | ||||
| 21 April 2021 | 4 | ||||
See main article: 2021 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[9]
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period since the election in November 2021.
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jun 2024[10] | 1 | ||||
| 19 Jun 2024 | 3 | ||||
| 19 Jun 2024 | 6 | ||||
After the three by-elections on 19 June, the DA holds a majority in the council, and can replace the previous governing coalition of the ANC, PA and KDF.