# Beaufort West Local Municipality elections

The Beaufort West Local Municipality council consists of thirteen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Seven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in seven wards, while the remaining 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.

## Results

The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ANC | DA | ICOSA | KDF | Other | Total |
| 2000 election | 8 | 5 | — | — | — | 13 |
| 2002 floor-crossing | 8 | 3 | — | — | 2 | 13 |
| 2004 floor-crossing | 9 | 3 | — | — | 1 | 13 |
| 2006 election | 5 | 2 | 5 | — | 1 | 13 |
| 2007 floor-crossing | 4 | 2 | 5 | — | 2 | 13 |
| 2011 election | 7 | 5 | 1 | — | 0 | 13 |
| 2016 election | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| 2021 election | 4 | 4 | — | 1 | 4 | 13 |

## 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 | 6,124 | 61.31 | 5 | 6,093 | 61.05 | 3 | 8 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 3,864 | 38.69 | 2 | 3,887 | 38.95 | 3 | 5 |
| Total | Total | 9,988 | 100.00 | 7 | 9,980 | 100.00 | 6 | 13 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 9,988 | 98.06 | | 9,980 | 97.98 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 198 | 1.94 | | 206 | 2.02 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 10,186 | 100.00 | | 10,186 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 15,732 | 64.75 | | 15,732 | 64.75 | | |

### 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 Beaufort West council, one councillor crossed from the Democratic Alliance (DA) to the New National Party (NNP), which had formerly been part of the DA, while another DA councillor left the party to sit as an independent.
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after |
| African National Congress | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Democratic Alliance | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| New National Party | — | 1 | 1 |
| Independent | — | 1 | 1 |

### September 2004 floor crossing

Another floor-crossing period occurred on 1–15 September 2004, in which the NNP councillor crossed to the African National Congress.
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after |
| African National Congress | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| Democratic Alliance | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Independent | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| New National Party | 1 | 1 | 0 |

### By-elections from September 2004 to February 2006

The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the floor crossing periods in September 2004 and the election in March 2006.
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor |
| 2 March 2005 | 1 | | Democratic Alliance | | Democratic Alliance |
| 2 March 2005 | 6 | | African National Congress | | African National Congress |

## 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 | 4,735 | 41.15 | 3 | 4,714 | 40.56 | 2 | 5 |
| | Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa | 4,096 | 35.60 | 3 | 4,165 | 35.84 | 2 | 5 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 2,070 | 17.99 | 1 | 2,003 | 17.24 | 1 | 2 |
| | Independent Democrats | 533 | 4.63 | 0 | 639 | 5.50 | 1 | 1 |
| | United Independent Front | 72 | 0.63 | 0 | 100 | 0.86 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 11,506 | 100.00 | 7 | 11,621 | 100.00 | 6 | 13 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 11,506 | 97.29 | | 11,621 | 98.18 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 321 | 2.71 | | 215 | 1.82 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 11,827 | 100.00 | | 11,836 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 18,906 | 62.56 | | 18,906 | 62.60 | | |

### By-elections from March 2006 to August 2007

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.
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor |
| 7 February 2007 | 1 | | Democratic Alliance | | Democratic Alliance |

### September 2007 floor crossing

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 Beaufort West council one councillor crossed from the ANC to the National People's Party, and the single councillor representing the Independent Democrats crossed to the Social Democratic Party.
| Party | Seats before | Net change | Seats after |
| Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| African National Congress | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Democratic Alliance | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Independent Democrats | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| National People's Party | — | 1 | 1 |
| Social Democratic Party | — | 1 | 1 |

### By-elections from September 2007 to May 2011

The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the floor crossing period in September 2007 and the election in May 2011.
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor |
| 19 March 2008 | 3 | Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa | Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa |
| 19 March 2008 | 5 | Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa | Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa |
| 19 March 2008 | 6 | Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa | Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa |
| 21 July 2010 | 3 | Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa | Democratic Alliance |
| 21 July 2010 | 5 | Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa | Democratic Alliance |

## 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 | 7,805 | 50.66 | 6 | 7,803 | 49.70 | 1 | 7 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 6,421 | 41.68 | 1 | 6,335 | 40.35 | 4 | 5 |
| | Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa | 676 | 4.39 | 0 | 655 | 4.17 | 1 | 1 |
| | Congress of the People | 182 | 1.18 | 0 | 661 | 4.21 | 0 | 0 |
| | National People's Party | 208 | 1.35 | 0 | 170 | 1.08 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent Congress | 84 | 0.55 | 0 | 37 | 0.24 | 0 | 0 |
| | South African Progressive Civic Organisation | 31 | 0.20 | 0 | 40 | 0.25 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 15,407 | 100.00 | 7 | 15,701 | 100.00 | 6 | 13 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 15,407 | 97.09 | | 15,701 | 99.13 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 462 | 2.91 | | 138 | 0.87 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 15,869 | 100.00 | | 15,839 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 23,812 | 66.64 | | 23,812 | 66.52 | | |

### 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 previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor |
| 7 September 2011 | 1 | | African National Congress | | African National Congress |

## 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 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 7,671 | 48.83 | 5 | 7,699 | 49.14 | 1 | 6 |
| | African National Congress | 6,682 | 42.54 | 2 | 6,561 | 41.88 | 4 | 6 |
| | Karoo Democratic Force | 825 | 5.25 | 0 | 799 | 5.10 | 1 | 1 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 203 | 1.29 | 0 | 227 | 1.45 | 0 | 0 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 113 | 0.72 | 0 | 114 | 0.73 | 0 | 0 |
| | Congress of the People | 48 | 0.31 | 0 | 120 | 0.77 | 0 | 0 |
| | Pan Africanist Congress of Azania | 61 | 0.39 | 0 | 49 | 0.31 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa | 50 | 0.32 | 0 | 51 | 0.33 | 0 | 0 |
| | South African Religious Civic Organisation | 31 | 0.20 | 0 | 47 | 0.30 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent candidates | 24 | 0.15 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| Total | Total | 15,708 | 100.00 | 7 | 15,667 | 100.00 | 6 | 13 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 15,708 | 99.02 | | 15,667 | 98.79 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 156 | 0.98 | | 192 | 1.21 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 15,864 | 100.00 | | 15,859 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 26,027 | 60.95 | | 26,027 | 60.93 | | |

### 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 |
| 24 May 2017 | 7 | Democratic Alliance | Democratic Alliance |
| 21 February 2018 | 2 | Democratic Alliance | Democratic Alliance |
| 21 April 2021 | 4 | African National Congress | African National Congress |

## 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 | 4,299 | 28.46 | 4 | 4,237 | 28.15 | 0 | 4 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 4,212 | 27.88 | 1 | 3,963 | 26.33 | 3 | 4 |
| | Patriotic Alliance | 3,298 | 21.83 | 2 | 3,314 | 22.02 | 1 | 3 |
| | Good | 1,596 | 10.56 | 0 | 1,869 | 12.42 | 1 | 1 |
| | Karoo Democratic Force | 845 | 5.59 | 0 | 825 | 5.48 | 1 | 1 |
| | Karoo Gemeenskap Party | 325 | 2.15 | 0 | 355 | 2.36 | 0 | 0 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 196 | 1.30 | 0 | 222 | 1.48 | 0 | 0 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 137 | 0.91 | 0 | 128 | 0.85 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 98 | 0.65 | 0 | 105 | 0.70 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent candidates | 70 | 0.46 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | Africa Restoration Alliance | 32 | 0.21 | 0 | 31 | 0.21 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 15,108 | 100.00 | 7 | 15,049 | 100.00 | 6 | 13 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 15,108 | 97.96 | | 15,049 | 98.70 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 315 | 2.04 | | 198 | 1.30 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 15,423 | 100.00 | | 15,247 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 26,878 | 57.38 | | 26,878 | 56.73 | | |

### 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 Jun 2024 | 1 | African National Congress | Democratic Alliance |
| 19 Jun 2024 | 3 | Patriotic Alliance | Democratic Alliance |
| 19 Jun 2024 | 6 | Patriotic Alliance | Democratic Alliance |
After the three by-elections on 19 June, the DA holds a majority in the council, and can replace the previous governing coalition of the ANC, PA and KDF.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | Democratic Alliance | | | 4 | | | 3 | 7 |
| | African National Congress | | | 3 | | | 0 | 3 |
| | Patriotic Alliance | | | 0 | | | 1 | 1 |
| | Good | | | 0 | | | 1 | 1 |
| | Karoo Democratic Force | | | 0 | | | 1 | 1 |
| Total | Total | | | 7 | | | 6 | 13 |