The George Local Municipality council consists of fifty-three members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Twenty-seven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in twenty-seven wards, while the remaining twenty-six 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 obtained a majority of seats on the council. The DA did, however, win the largest amount of seats.
Results The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
Event ACDP ANC DA EFF FF+ PBI Other Total 2000 election — 14 17 — — — 4 35 2006 election 1 17 18 — 1 — 2 39 2011 election 1 19 25 — 0 1 3 49 2016 election 1 16 29 1 1 2 3 53 2021 election 1 10 26 2 4 5 7 55
December 2000 election
The following table shows the results of the 2000 election.
October 2002 floor crossing
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 George council, the three councillors of the George Community Initiative crossed to the Democratic Alliance.
Party Seats before Net change Seats after 17 3 20 14 0 14 1 0 1 3 3 0
September 2004 floor crossing Another floor-crossing period occurred on 1–15 September 2004, in which two councillors crossed from the Democratic Alliance to the African National Congress.
Party Seats before Net change Seats after 20 2 18 14 2 16 1 0 1
March 2006 election
The following table shows the results of the 2006 election.
By-elections from March 2006 to May 2011 The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the elections in March 2006 and May 2011.
Date Ward Party of the previous councillor Party of the newly elected councillor 15 November 2006 3 Elected uncontested as no other candidates were nominated. 5 December 2007 3 21 May 2008 5 8 6 May 2009 1 24 June 2009 19
May 2011 election
The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.
By-elections from May 2011 to August 2016 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 22 May 2013 6 3 July 2013 14 7 August 2013 1
August 2016 election
The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.
By-elections from August 2016 to November 2021 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 1 Feb 2017 11 25 25 Apr 2018 18 21 Nov 2018 3 10 Apr 2019 18 17 Jul 2019 20 11 Nov 2020By-election was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 8 14 17 27
November 2021 election
The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.
By-elections from November 2021 The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period since the election in November 2021.
Date Ward Party of the previous councillor Party of the newly elected councillor 19 Jul 2023 16 19 Jul 2023 20 19 Jul 2023 27 14 Feb 2024 8 23 Oct 2024 20 21 Jan 2026 17 21 Jan 2026 27 11 Feb 2026 16 30 April 2026 25
The three Good ward councillors (the party's only ward councillors in the country) resigned, with two joining the Democratic Alliance (DA) and one of the three, Richard Hector, a two-term ward councillor, attempting to reverse his decision. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) declared that he had resigned, and so three by-elections needed to be held. The by-elections were marred by allegations of voter registration fraud, with Good claiming that, in one instance, 188 people were registered at the same address in spite of only two people living there. The IEC dismissed the claims and the by-elections went ahead. Good lost all three seats, with two going to the DA, and one to the Patriotic Alliance (PA).
As a result, the DA, which governed in coalition with Freedom Front Plus (FF+), gained a majority of 28 seats (up from 26) of the 55 available seats, Good fell to 3 from 6, and the PA increased from 1 to 2.
The DA lost its majority after the by-election on 14 February 2024 when it lost ward 8 to the PA, and, following further losses, as of February 2026, governs with the support of the FF+ and ACDP.
The council composition as of 12 February 2026 is shown below.
Notes
References