The Oudtshoorn Local Municipality council consists of twenty-five members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Thirteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in thirteen wards, while the remaining twelve 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, the African National Congress won a plurality of eight seats on the council.
The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ANC | DA | ICOSA | Other | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 election | 10 | 10 | — | 3 | 23 | |
| 2002 floor-crossing | 10 | 7 | — | 6 | 23 | |
| 2004 floor-crossing | 15 | 7 | — | 1 | 23 | |
| 2006 election | 8 | 7 | — | 8 | 23 | |
| 2007 floor-crossing | 8 | 7 | — | 8 | 23 | |
| 2011 election | 11 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 25 | |
| 2016 election | 7 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 25 | |
| 2021 election | 8 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 25 |
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 Oudtshoorn council, five councillors from the Democratic Alliance (DA) crossed to the New National Party (NNP), which had formerly been part of the DA. The single councillor of the United Independent Front also crossed to the NNP, while the two councillors of Oudtshoorn Aksie 2000 crossed to the DA.[2]
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 10 | 3 | 7 | ||
| — | 6 | 6 | ||
| 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
Another floor-crossing period occurred on 1–15 September 2004, in which five councillors crossed from the NNP to the African National Congress, while the sixth NNP councillor crossed to the Freedom Front Plus.[3]
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 5 | 15 | ||
| 7 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 6 | 6 | 0 | ||
| — | 1 | 1 | ||
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]
See main article: 2006 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2006 election.[5]
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 Stellenbosch council, the two councillors of the Oudtshoorn Civic Association crossed to the National People's Party.[6]
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 7 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 6 | 0 | 6 | ||
| — | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 October 2010 | 5 | [7] | |||
| 12 | [8] | ||||
See main article: 2011 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.[9]
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the elections in May 2011 and August 2016.
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 August 2013 | 5 | ||||
| 6 | |||||
| 13 | |||||
| 6 May 2015 | 7 | ||||
| 11 November 2015 | 2 | ||||
| 9 December 2015 | 13 | ||||
See main article: 2016 South African municipal elections. The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[10]
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the elections in August 2016 and November 2021.
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 May 2018 | 13 | ||||
| 9 December 2020 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | |||||
| 10 | |||||
See main article: 2021 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[11]
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period since November 2021.