The Rustenburg Local Municipality council consists of ninety members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Forty-five councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in forty-five wards, while the remaining forty-five 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 won a majority, with the African National Congress (ANC) winning the most seats, forty-three.
The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ACDP | AIC | ANC | BCM | DA | EFF | FSD | FF+ | UCDP | UDM | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 election | — | — | 45 | — | 14 | — | — | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 69 |
| 2006 election | 1 | — | 53 | — | 11 | — | — | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 72 |
| 2011 election | 1 | — | 55 | — | 15 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 76 |
| 2016 election | 0 | 1 | 43 | 1 | 14 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 89 |
| 2021 election | 1 | 1 | 43 | 1 | 13 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 90 |
See main article: 2000 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2000 election.[1]
See main article: 2006 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2006 election.[2]
See main article: 2011 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.[3]
See main article: 2016 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[4]
See main article: 2021 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[5]
After the election, the African National Congress (ANC) formed a coalition with the African Independent Congress (AIC), the independent candidate and Arona, together controlling a majority of 46 of the 90 seats.[6]
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period from November 2021.
| 19 Jul 2023 | 11 | |||
| 28 Aug 2023[7] | 45 |