As if there wasn’t chaos before, Knysna’s leadership crisis and indeed political landscape have been thrown further into the quagmire of uncertainty after Executive Mayor Thando Matika ‘jumped ship’ from the ANC to the South African Communist Party (SACP).

Whilst no official announcement was made by the Mayor, the ANC has confirmed that Matika was listed as a South African Communist Party (SACP) candidate for the upcoming local government elections, and that they (the ANC) have formally notified the municipality that he is no longer a member of the party.

The development will undoubtedly have immediate consequences for Matika’s position as both a councillor and Executive Mayor, and throw the sitting council into more disarray less than seven weeks before voters go to the polls on 4 November.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa’s (IEC) final candidate information, published on 16 September, lists Matika as the SACP’s first proportional-representation candidate in Knysna, and according to recent media reports, Matika had already written to the ANC on 7 September to decline nomination as an ANC candidate, requesting his name to be removed from all ANC candidate lists.

Matika was elected Executive Mayor in February 2025, following the removal of former Mayor and Ward 8 Councillor, the late Aubrey Tsengwa.

The ANC has reportedly written to the municipality requesting that Matika be removed from office and that the vacancy be reported to the IEC.

This notification is at the centre of a legal dispute over when the Mayor (and one other defecting councillor) should actually cease to hold office. In a letter dated 21 September, DA caucus chairperson Cllr Jason White urged Acting Municipal Manager Boy Ngubo to confirm when the ANC’s notification was received and whether the IEC had been informed.

The DA letter contends that, if the ANC’s notification is valid, Matika has simultaneously ceased to be Executive Mayor. It refers to section 59(c) of the Act and says the mayoral committee consequently dissolves under section 60(5). White has asked that Matika and the other defecting councillor (Ward 7 Councillor Mboneli Khumelwana) immediately stop exercising councillor or mayoral functions and not participate in, or be counted for, council and committee proceedings.

The dispute adds another layer to a municipality already marked by political instability. Parties have repeatedly clashed over executive authority and administrative appointments, whilst the last four meetings have been disrupted by boycotts.

Council Speaker Mark Willemse (KIM) confirmed that councillors from the ANC, PBI, EFF and PA had not attended the affected Council meetings at which an item relating to the legal tenure of the current Acting Municipal Manager Ngubo was to be debated.

“The failure of the affected meetings to proceed meant that important business of Council could not be concluded. It also resulted in costs being incurred for meetings that could not fulfil their intended purpose, which raises concerns regarding fruitless and wasteful expenditure. Ultimately, it is the residents of Greater Knysna who bear the consequences when Council is unable to conduct its business effectively,” he said.

The matter has been reported to the MEC for Local Government in the Western Cape, and Willemse says the municipality is awaiting his determination.