KOUGA – With the local government elections set for 4 November, Kouga voters will head to the polls with service delivery, infrastructure and municipal governance among the key issues facing the municipality.
Hattingh Bornman is the current Executive Mayor of Kouga Municipality and is also the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) 2026 mayoral candidate.
Bornman became mayor on 30 June 2023, following the resignation of Horatio Hendricks, who resigned as mayor after his appointment as a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature.
Bornman had previously served as Kouga’s deputy mayor and, before that, as speaker.
Five parties in focus
The five parties that received the most proportional-representation votes in the 2021 Kouga municipal election were the DA, African National Congress (ANC), Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
The DA received 18,333 votes, or 53.89%, followed by the ANC with 12,779 votes (37.56%), FF Plus with 1,051 votes (3.09%), PA with 679 votes (2.00%) and EFF with 641 votes (1.88%).
The DA’s result translated into 16 of Kouga’s 30 council seats, while the ANC won 11 seats.
The FF Plus, PA and EFF each secured one seat.
The result gave the DA an outright majority, allowing it to continue governing Kouga without a coalition partner.
For the 2026 election, Bornman is the DA’s mayoral candidate.
DA outlines 2026 priorities
The party’s 2026 Local Government Elections Manifesto focuses on building professional and financially sustainable municipalities that provide reliable basic services.
Its priorities include improving water and sanitation infrastructure, upgrading wastewater systems, maintaining electricity networks and expanding municipal energy options.
The DA also proposes strengthening local safety, restoring refuse collection, maintaining public spaces and improving municipal clinics.
On economic development, its manifesto calls for cutting red tape, supporting small businesses and informal traders, unlocking investment, releasing well-located land and delivering title deeds.
It also commits to greater transparency in procurement, merit-based appointments, tackling corruption and holding officials accountable for poor performance.
The ANC, Patriotic Alliance and FF Plus had no Kouga mayoral candidate publicly confirmed at the time of publication.
The EFF’s proposed mayoral candidate for Kouga is Princess Maseti.
EFF proposes ‘People’s Municipalities’
The EFF’s 2026 Local Government Elections Manifesto proposes transforming municipalities into “People’s Municipalities” focused on reliable services, infrastructure and economic development.
Its commitments include improving access to water, sanitation, electricity and refuse removal, while strengthening municipal capacity by reducing reliance on outsourcing and contractors.
The party also proposes free basic services for qualifying poor households, support for financially distressed households, and measures to address water leaks, sewer problems and infrastructure failures. Its priorities include job creation, local procurement, township and rural industrialisation, land for productive use, housing, safer communities and greater participation by women and young people in municipal opportunities.
Leadership change in 2023
The most significant change in political leadership during the current council term was the change in Executive Mayor from Hendricks to Bornman in June 2023. However, the DA retained its 16-seat outright majority in the 30-member council.
Service delivery remains a challenge
Wastewater and sewage remain among the major service-delivery issues facing Kouga.
The South African Human Rights Commission found that Kouga had not demonstrated adequate treatment performance at the Jeffreys Bay Wastewater Treatment Works or compliant final-effluent quality at the KwaNomzamo Wastewater Treatment Works.
Road maintenance is another major challenge.
Kouga’s own Integrated Development Plan identifies the resealing of surfaced roads as a priority that could no longer be postponed, with a planned R200 million loan-funded roads programme over two financial years.
Water infrastructure is also a major issue, particularly in rapidly growing communities.
Kouga is implementing a bulk water project for KwaNomzamo, with the municipality reporting a total investment of R16.7 million through the Water Services Infrastructure Grant. The project is intended to increase water-supply capacity as demand grows.
Electricity and infrastructure pressures
Electricity and energy security are further concerns.
Kouga’s 2026/27 budget indicated that rising bulk electricity costs are a major challenge, with electricity accounting for almost 30% of operating expenditure.
The municipality is therefore pursuing its own energy solutions, including battery storage and small-scale embedded generation.
The municipality is also dealing with the challenge of providing services to growing informal settlements.
Despite the challenges, an independent FW de Klerk Foundation Local Government Report Card for 2026 gave Kouga a score of 82.5/100, placing it sixth among the 50 municipalities assessed and highest among the Eastern Cape municipalities included in the assessment.
Kouga’s registered voters
According to IEC registered-voter figures as of 28 September, Kouga has 31,234 registered male voters and 37,157 registered female voters.
The age and gender breakdown is:
- 18–19: 652 men and 809 women
- 20–29: 4,160 men and 5,166 women
- 30–39: 6,289 men and 7,450 women
- 40–49: 6,683 men and 7,285 women
- 50–59: 5,684 men and 6,285 women
- 60–69: 4,263 men and 5,325 women
- 70–79: 2,529 men and 3,238 women
- 80+: 974 men and 1,599 women
The figures show a total of 68,391 registered voters in Kouga.
How Kouga voted in 2021
In the 2021 municipal election, the DA retained control of Kouga Municipality, receiving 53.89% of the proportional-representation vote.
The ANC received 37.56%, followed by FF Plus on 3.09%, PA on 2.00% and EFF on 1.88%.
The DA’s 16 seats gave it an outright majority in the 30-member council.
The ANC won 11 seats, while FF Plus, PA and EFF each secured one seat.
With the next local government election scheduled for 4 November, Kouga voters will decide the municipality’s political leadership for the next council term.
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