# Polokwane Local Municipality elections

The Polokwane Local Municipality is a Local Municipality in Limpopo, South Africa. The 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 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of fifty-six seats.

## Results

The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ACDP | ANC | AZAPO | COPE | DA | EFF | FF+ | PAC | UDM | Other | Total |
| 2000 election | 2 | 52 | 2 | — | 9 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 69 |
| 2006 election | 2 | 58 | 1 | — | 7 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 73 |
| 2011 election | 1 | 61 | 1 | 3 | 9 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 76 |
| 2016 election | 0 | 52 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 90 |
| 2021 election | 1 | 56 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 90 |

## December 2000 election

The following table shows the results of the 2000 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | African National Congress | 51,259 | 73.53 | 31 | 52,561 | 75.96 | 21 | 52 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 9,618 | 13.80 | 3 | 9,300 | 13.44 | 6 | 9 |
| | Independent candidates | 3,778 | 5.42 | 1 | | | | 1 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 1,933 | 2.77 | 0 | 1,786 | 2.58 | 2 | 2 |
| | Azanian People's Organisation | 1,479 | 2.12 | 0 | 1,814 | 2.62 | 2 | 2 |
| | United Democratic Movement | 752 | 1.08 | 0 | 1,457 | 2.11 | 1 | 1 |
| | Pan Africanist Congress of Azania | 412 | 0.59 | 0 | 1,481 | 2.14 | 1 | 1 |
| | Alliansie Noord | 479 | 0.69 | 0 | 800 | 1.16 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 69,710 | 100.00 | 35 | 69,199 | 100.00 | 34 | 69 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 69,710 | 97.92 | | 69,199 | 97.20 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,482 | 2.08 | | 1,993 | 2.80 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 71,192 | 100.00 | | 71,192 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 184,344 | 38.62 | | 184,344 | 38.62 | | |

## March 2006 election

The following table shows the results of the 2006 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | African National Congress | 63,063 | 75.38 | 33 | 66,722 | 79.58 | 25 | 58 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 8,029 | 9.60 | 3 | 7,800 | 9.30 | 4 | 7 |
| | Independent candidates | 5,499 | 6.57 | 1 | | | | 1 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 1,822 | 2.18 | 0 | 1,997 | 2.38 | 2 | 2 |
| | United Independent Front | 1,679 | 2.01 | 0 | 1,859 | 2.22 | 1 | 1 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 1,296 | 1.55 | 0 | 1,470 | 1.75 | 1 | 1 |
| | Azanian People's Organisation | 1,139 | 1.36 | 0 | 1,167 | 1.39 | 1 | 1 |
| | United Democratic Movement | 348 | 0.42 | 0 | 1,394 | 1.66 | 1 | 1 |
| | Pan Africanist Congress of Azania | 624 | 0.75 | 0 | 983 | 1.17 | 1 | 1 |
| | Alliance for Democracy and Prosperity | 164 | 0.20 | 0 | 452 | 0.54 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 83,663 | 100.00 | 37 | 83,844 | 100.00 | 36 | 73 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 83,663 | 98.34 | | 83,844 | 97.18 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,408 | 1.66 | | 2,435 | 2.82 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 85,071 | 100.00 | | 86,279 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 217,472 | 39.12 | | 217,472 | 39.67 | | |

## May 2011 election

The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | African National Congress | 87,275 | 77.06 | 35 | 91,293 | 80.24 | 26 | 61 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 12,651 | 11.17 | 3 | 13,008 | 11.43 | 6 | 9 |
| | Congress of the People | 4,291 | 3.79 | 0 | 4,551 | 4.00 | 3 | 3 |
| | Independent candidates | 3,644 | 3.22 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 1,110 | 0.98 | 0 | 1,214 | 1.07 | 1 | 1 |
| | Azanian People's Organisation | 987 | 0.87 | 0 | 1,134 | 1.00 | 1 | 1 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 1,075 | 0.95 | 0 | 856 | 0.75 | 1 | 1 |
| | Pan Africanist Congress of Azania | 767 | 0.68 | 0 | 675 | 0.59 | 0 | 0 |
| | National Freedom Party | 853 | 0.75 | 0 | 498 | 0.44 | 0 | 0 |
| | United Democratic Movement | 608 | 0.54 | 0 | 545 | 0.48 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 113,261 | 100.00 | 38 | 113,774 | 100.00 | 38 | 76 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 113,261 | 98.24 | | 113,774 | 98.51 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 2,034 | 1.76 | | 1,723 | 1.49 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 115,295 | 100.00 | | 115,497 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 239,953 | 48.05 | | 239,953 | 48.13 | | |

## August 2016 election

The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | African National Congress | 92,434 | 57.13 | 40 | 92,549 | 57.20 | 12 | 52 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 45,463 | 28.10 | 1 | 45,838 | 28.33 | 25 | 26 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 17,872 | 11.05 | 4 | 17,651 | 10.91 | 6 | 10 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 1,407 | 0.87 | 0 | 1,398 | 0.86 | 1 | 1 |
| | Congress of the People | 933 | 0.58 | 0 | 831 | 0.51 | 1 | 1 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 629 | 0.39 | 0 | 826 | 0.51 | 0 | 0 |
| | African People's Convention | 258 | 0.16 | 0 | 836 | 0.52 | 0 | 0 |
| | Azanian People's Organisation | 552 | 0.34 | 0 | 457 | 0.28 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent candidates | 867 | 0.54 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | Pan Africanist Congress of Azania | 462 | 0.29 | 0 | 354 | 0.22 | 0 | 0 |
| | Forum for Service Delivery | 354 | 0.22 | 0 | 338 | 0.21 | 0 | 0 |
| | United Democratic Movement | 130 | 0.08 | 0 | 272 | 0.17 | 0 | 0 |
| | People's Revolutionary Movement | 106 | 0.07 | 0 | 138 | 0.09 | 0 | 0 |
| | United Christian Democratic Party | 101 | 0.06 | 0 | 132 | 0.08 | 0 | 0 |
| | African People's Socialist Party | 127 | 0.08 | 0 | 91 | 0.06 | 0 | 0 |
| | Value Education Nationalism Democracy in Africa | 115 | 0.07 | 0 | 83 | 0.05 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 161,810 | 100.00 | 45 | 161,794 | 100.00 | 45 | 90 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 161,810 | 98.47 | | 161,794 | 98.45 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 2,519 | 1.53 | | 2,541 | 1.55 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 164,329 | 100.00 | | 164,335 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 318,088 | 51.66 | | 318,088 | 51.66 | | |

## November 2021 election

The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | African National Congress | 81,589 | 58.31 | 37 | 85,887 | 61.86 | 19 | 56 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 30,844 | 22.04 | 4 | 32,943 | 23.73 | 17 | 21 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 10,079 | 7.20 | 4 | 10,331 | 7.44 | 3 | 7 |
| | Independent candidates | 9,218 | 6.59 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 2,618 | 1.87 | 0 | 2,592 | 1.87 | 2 | 2 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 835 | 0.60 | 0 | 1,057 | 0.76 | 1 | 1 |
| | Abantu Batho Congress | 661 | 0.47 | 0 | 593 | 0.43 | 1 | 1 |
| | Magoshi Swaranang Movement | 397 | 0.28 | 0 | 563 | 0.41 | 1 | 1 |
| | Congress of the People | 469 | 0.34 | 0 | 476 | 0.34 | 1 | 1 |
| | Patriotic Alliance | 438 | 0.31 | 0 | 476 | 0.34 | 0 | 0 |
| | Pan Africanist Congress of Azania | 325 | 0.23 | 0 | 512 | 0.37 | 0 | 0 |
| | Kingdom Covenant Democratic Party | 157 | 0.11 | 0 | 566 | 0.41 | 0 | 0 |
| | Defenders of the People | 322 | 0.23 | 0 | 353 | 0.25 | 0 | 0 |
| | Africa Restoration Alliance | 255 | 0.18 | 0 | 381 | 0.27 | 0 | 0 |
| | Azanian People's Organisation | 271 | 0.19 | 0 | 359 | 0.26 | 0 | 0 |
| | African People's Convention | 324 | 0.23 | 0 | 278 | 0.20 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Transformation Movement | 176 | 0.13 | 0 | 342 | 0.25 | 0 | 0 |
| | Movement for Total Liberation | 222 | 0.16 | 0 | 232 | 0.17 | 0 | 0 |
| | United Democratic Movement | 179 | 0.13 | 0 | 216 | 0.16 | 0 | 0 |
| | United Christian Democratic Party | 201 | 0.14 | 0 | 161 | 0.12 | 0 | 0 |
| | Party of Action | 162 | 0.12 | 0 | 197 | 0.14 | 0 | 0 |
| | Young Peoples Party | 58 | 0.04 | 0 | 86 | 0.06 | 0 | 0 |
| | Democratic Artists Party | 42 | 0.03 | 0 | 94 | 0.07 | 0 | 0 |
| | South African Royal Kingdoms Organization | 52 | 0.04 | 0 | 74 | 0.05 | 0 | 0 |
| | Prophetic Movement Army | 36 | 0.03 | 0 | 79 | 0.06 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 139,930 | 100.00 | 45 | 138,848 | 100.00 | 45 | 90 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 139,930 | 98.59 | | 138,848 | 98.17 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 2,004 | 1.41 | | 2,588 | 1.83 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 141,934 | 100.00 | | 141,436 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 326,617 | 43.46 | | 326,617 | 43.30 | | |

### 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 |
| 25 Jan 2023 | 10 | Economic Freedom Fighters | Economic Freedom Fighters |
| 24 Apr 2024 | 10 | Economic Freedom Fighters | African National Congress |
| 13 Nov 2024 | 39 | Democratic Alliance | Democratic Alliance |
In the ward 10 by-election held on 25 January 2023 after the death of the previous Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) councillor, the EFF candidate retained the seat for the party. ActionSA contested its first by-election in Limpopo, winning 10% of the vote.
After the resignation of the EFF councillor following his arrest for stealing weapons and ammunition from the South African Police Service Stock Theft Unit, another by-election was held. The ANC won the seat back, with 53% of the vote to the EFF's 43%. ActionSA dropped to 2%, while uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) contested its first by-election in Limpopo, finishing fifth with 1%.