The Swellendam Local Municipality council consists of eleven members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Six councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in six wards, while the remaining 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, the Democratic Alliance (DA) retained its majority of six seats on the council.
The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ANC | DA | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 election | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| 2002 floor-crossing | 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 2004 floor-crossing | 6 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| 2006 election | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2007 floor-crossing | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 2011 election | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| 2016 election | 5 | 6 | 0 | 11 |
| 2021 election | 4 | 6 | 1 | 11 |
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 Swellendam council, three councillors from the Democratic Alliance (DA) crossed to the New National Party (NNP), which had formerly been part of the DA.[2]
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 5 | 2 | 3 | ||
| – | 2 | 2 | ||
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the floor crossing periods in October 2002 and September 2004.[3]
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 March 2003 | 2 | ||||
| 4 | [4] | ||||
Another floor-crossing period occurred on 1–15 September 2004, in which the remaining NNP councillor crossed to the ANC.[5]
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 4 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
See main article: 2006 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2006 election.[6]
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 Swellendam council, one councillor from the African National Congress crossed to the Independent Democrats.[7]
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
See main article: 2011 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.[8]
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.[9] [10] [11]
In a by-election held on 24 July 2019, the DA managed to win a ward from the ANC.[12]
The council was reconfigured as seen below:
The local council sends one representative, a member of the Democratic Alliance, to the council of the Overberg District Municipality.[13]
See main article: 2021 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[14]
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period since the election in November 2021.
In a by-election in ward 2, held on 22 March 2023 after the previous DA councillor was expelled, the ANC narrowly won the seat. The Patriotic Alliance (PA) increased its share from less than 1% in 2021 to 31%, finishing second, and taking votes from both the DA (49% to 30%) and ANC (48% to 37%).[15]