Every municipality has two arms. The council is political and elected. The administration is appointed and employed. Confusing the two is the most common misunderstanding about local government, and it matters, because they answer for different things.
The political side: the council
- Executive mayor. Leads the municipality politically. In most councils the executive mayor holds executive authority together with a mayoral committee, and is the public face of the municipality.
- Deputy mayor. Deputises for the mayor and usually holds a portfolio as well.
- Speaker. Chairs council meetings and enforces the councillors’ code of conduct. Deliberately a different person from the mayor, so that the chair of the council is not also the head of its executive.
- Chief whip. Manages relations between parties and keeps council business moving. In coalition councils this is a far more consequential job than it sounds.
- Mayoral committee members. Councillors given responsibility for a portfolio such as finance, water, human settlements or public safety, often abbreviated to MMC.
- Ward councillors. Elected directly by the residents of a ward, and the first point of contact for the people who live there.
The administrative side: the officials
- Municipal manager. The accounting officer. Legally responsible for the municipality’s administration and, critically, for its finances. Appointed by the council on a fixed-term contract, not elected.
- Chief financial officer. Responsible for financial management, budgeting and reporting, answerable to the municipal manager.
- Senior managers. Heads of departments such as engineering, community services, corporate services and planning.
Why the distinction decides accountability
When the Auditor-General reports on a municipality’s finances, the person answerable as accounting officer is the municipal manager, not the mayor. When a policy choice is criticised, that is the council’s responsibility. When a service simply fails to work, it is usually administrative.
This is also why the word “acting” matters. A municipality with an acting municipal manager for a long period has nobody permanently accountable in the most important administrative post. Every profile on this site marks acting appointments explicitly.
The mayoral committee is not the administration
Mayoral committee members are councillors, not officials. An MMC for Water sets political direction on water. The head of the water department runs it. Reporting a burst pipe to an MMC will normally result in it being passed to the administration.
Every municipality profile names the current mayor, deputy mayor, speaker, chief whip, municipal manager, chief financial officer, mayoral committee and senior management, with party affiliation and acting status where applicable.
Common questions
Is the mayor the boss of the municipal manager?
Not directly. The municipal manager is appointed by and accountable to the council as a whole, not to the mayor personally. In practice the relationship is close, but the legal lines are separate by design.
What is the difference between an executive mayor and a mayor?
In an executive mayoral system the mayor holds executive authority with a mayoral committee. In a collective executive system that authority sits with an executive committee and the mayor chairs it. Most larger South African municipalities use the executive mayoral system.
Who do I contact first as a resident?
Your ward councillor for anything affecting your area, and the call centre for a specific fault. Escalate to the municipal manager if there is no response, since that office is legally responsible for administration.
Figures on this page come from National Treasury, Statistics South Africa and the Auditor-General, as set out in the sources and methodology. Read the methodology