POLOKWANE GETS READY FOR A NEW DAWN: 6th Council To Be Inaugurated

By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief

The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.  

AZANIAFROCOMEDIA – The Catalyst of Impact

POLOKWANE — The wait is over. The people have spoken, the votes have been counted, and now the City of Polokwane is preparing for one of its most important mornings in five years.

On Tuesday, 18 November 2026 at 10:00, all eyes will be on Jack Botes Hall as the Inaugural Meeting of the 6th Council of Polokwane Municipality takes place.

This is not just another meeting. This is where a new chapter begins. Called in terms of Section 29(2) of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, No. 117 of 1998, the meeting — convened by City Manager Ms Thuso Nemugumoni — will see the newly elected councillors take their seats and elect the three most powerful offices in council:

1. The Speaker of Council — the referee who will keep order, protect debate, and make sure council works for the people, not for factions.

2. The Executive Mayor — the face of service delivery. Water, roads, electricity, refuse, jobs, and the day-to-day running of Polokwane will rest on this office.

3. The Whip of Council — the organiser who will make sure councillors show up, do the work, and account.

For residents of Polokwane, from Seshego to Mankweng, from Moletjie to Molepo, from the CBD to the villages, this day matters. The pictures at the top of the notice say it all: water in the tap, firefighters ready, food growing in the fields, smooth tar roads, and yellow machines building the future.

That is the promise. Now the new council must deliver it. After an election that shook the whole country — where the ANC fell nationally to 30.76% and lost ground even in its strongholds — Polokwane, like every municipality, is entering a new era of coalitions, accountability, and pressure from the ground.

No one can govern on history alone anymore. As the outgoing leadership itself admitted: “We cannot ask people to trust us merely because of our history. We must earn it through what we do today.”

So on the 18th, the hall will be full. Party regalia, ululating, singing, prayers, and nervous smiles. New councillors, some young and first-time, some old hands returning. Families watching. Officials watching. The whole city watching.

Who will lead? Who will be Speaker? Who will be Mayor? Who will hold the Whip? In a few hours, Polokwane will know.

And after the inauguration, the real work starts — fixing potholes, fixing water, fixing lights, fixing trust. Polokwane is not just inaugurating a council. It is inaugurating hope.

Polokwane, 18 November 2026. Jack Botes Hall. 10:00. Be there. History will be made.