270 seats, no majority.

The Joburg council has 270 seats. Half (135) are ward councillors — one per ward, elected by the people living there. The other half are proportional-representation (PR) councillors allocated by party share of the vote. To govern, you need 136.

The offices

• Mayor: elected by council. Runs the executive.
• Speaker: chairs council, is politically neutral in the chair, and can make or break a vote.
• MMCs (Members of the Mayoral Committee): the mayor's cabinet, each running a portfolio (finance, roads, safety…).
• Chief Whip: herds the mayoral bloc through votes.

Why a 3-seat party held the mayor's chair

In January 2023, Al Jama-ah (3 seats of 270) briefly held the mayoralty because larger parties needed their vote to defeat a DA-led bloc. In hung councils, tiny parties become kingmakers.