The municipal council consists of sixty-five members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.

The following parties/coalitions have governed the council: From 2000 to 2006, the mayor of the municipality was Christian Johannes George Leander of the NNP.

After the local government elections of 2006, a coalition was formed by the African National Congress (ANC) and the Independent Democrats (ID), and Charmaine Manuel of the ANC was elected as Mayor with Wilhelm Nothnagel of the ID as Deputy Mayor.

[5] In the 2011 local government elections the DA managed to turn the tables, and obtained an outright majority on the council, holding 35 seats out of 61.

[7][8] In the election of 3 August 2016 the Democratic Alliance (DA) obtained a majority of forty-three seats on the council.

[9] 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.

[15] The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the elections in May 2011 and August 2016.

[16][17][18] The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period between the elections in August 2016 and November 2021.