The Saldanha Bay Local Municipality consists of twenty-seven members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Fourteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in fourteen wards, while the remaining thirteen 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 Democratic Alliance (DA) obtained a plurality of thirteen seats on the council.
The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ANC | DA | IND | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 election | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| 2002 floor-crossing | 9 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 20 |
| 2004 floor-crossing | 9 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 20 |
| 2006 election | 9 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 23 |
| 2007 floor-crossing | 10 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 23 |
| 2011 election | 8 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 25 |
| 2016 election | 8 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 27 |
| 2021 election | 6 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 27 |
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 Saldanha Bay council the Democratic Alliance (DA) lost two councillors to the New National Party (NNP), which had formerly been part of the DA.[2]
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 9 | 2 | 7 | ||
| – | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
Another floor-crossing period occurred on 1–15 September 2004. The independent councillor joined the United Democratic Movement.[3]
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 7 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| – | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
See main article: 2006 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2006 election.[4]
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 Saldanha Bay council, two of the independent councillors joined the African National Congress, and the single councillor from the United Independent Front crossed to the National People's Party.[6]
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 6 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| — | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
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.[8]
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 March 2012 | 12 | ||||
| 19 February 2014 | 9 | ||||
See main article: 2016 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[9] [10] [11]
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the elections in August 2016 and November 2021.[8]
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 May 2018 | 3 | ||||
| 12 December 2018 | 5 | ||||
| 18 September 2019 | 14 | ||||
| 11 November 2020[12] | 13 | ||||
See main article: 2021 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period from the election in November 2021.
The African National Congress (ANC) councillor for ward 9 was assassinated, leading to a by-election. Only two parties stood, the ANC and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). The EFF claimed victory after the ANC's share of the vote dropped 72% to 43%, while the EFF's increased from 15% to 57%.