The Walter Sisulu Local Municipality council was formed in 2016,[1] and consists of twenty-two members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Eleven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in eleven wards, while the remaining eleven 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 (ANC) won a reduced majority of twelve seats.
The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ANC | DA | EFF | MCA | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 election | 15 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| 2021 election | 12 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 22 |
See main article: 2016 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[2]
In a by-election held on 8 August 2018, a ward previously held by an ANC councillor was won by the DA candidate.[3] Council composition was reconfigured as seen below:
| Party | Ward | PR list | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 5 | 14 | |||
| 2 | 4 | 6 | |||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Total | 11 | 11 | 22 | ||
See main article: 2021 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[4]
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period since November 2021.[5]
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 February 2023 | 2 | ||||
| 24 April 2024[6] | 8 | ||||