Mayor of Cape Town

Last updated

Mayor of Cape Town
Geordin Hill-Lewis.jpg
since 18 November 2021
Style The Honourable
Appointer Cape Town City Council
Term length Five years; renewable once consecutively
Inaugural holder Michiel van Breda
Formation1840
Website Official Website

The mayor of Cape Town is the head of the local government of Cape Town, South Africa; currently that government takes the form of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality.

The mayoral position was established on 7 December 2000.

In the past, the position of mayor has varied between that of an executive mayor actively governing the city and that of a figurehead mayor with a mostly ceremonial role. The current mayor is Geordin Hill-Lewis of the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Current office

This is a list of mayors of Cape Town in South Africa:

City of Cape Town (December 2000–present)

Name and ImageTerm of officePolitical party
Peter Marais.png

Peter Marais

December 2000November 2001 Democratic Alliance
Gerald Morkel December 2001October 2002 Democratic Alliance
South African Ambassador to the U.S. Nomaindiya Cathleen Mfeketo (52036244356) (cropped).jpg

Nomaindia Mfeketo

October 2002March 2006 African National Congress
Helen Zille in Mpumalanga (cropped).jpg

Helen Zille

March 2006April 2009 Democratic Alliance
Grant Haskin (acting)April 2009May 2009 African Christian Democratic Party
Dan Plato.jpeg

Dan Plato

May 2009May 2011 Democratic Alliance
Patricia de Lille, March 2011.jpg

Patricia de Lille

June 2011October 2018 Democratic Alliance
Ian Neilson at the United Airlines Inuagural Flight Reception Dinner (cropped).jpg

Ian Neilson (acting)

May 2018
October 2018		May 2018
November 2018		 Democratic Alliance
Dan Plato.jpeg

Dan Plato

November 2018October 2021 Democratic Alliance
Geordin Hill-Lewis.jpg

Geordin Hill-Lewis

November 2021Incumbent Democratic Alliance

Historic offices

Metropolitan Local Councils (June 1996–December 2000)

Cape Metropolitan Council (CMC)

City of Cape Town Municipality (Central Substructure)

  • Nomaindia Mfeketo (1998 - 2000) (ANC)
  • Theresa Solomon [3] [4] (1996 - 1998) (ANC)

City of Tygerberg Municipality (Tygerberg Substructure)

South Peninsula Municipality (Southern Substructure)

Helderberg Municipality (Helderberg Substructure)

  • James Matthews (1996 - 2000) (NNP)

Oostenberg Municipality (Eastern Substructure)

Blaauwberg Municipality (Northern Substructure)

City of Cape Town Transitional Council (February 1995–June 1996)

Mayors prior to nonracial dispensation

Cape Colony (1840-1910)

NameTerm of officeAnnotation
Michiel van Breda.jpg

Michiel van Breda

18401844First Chairman of the Cape Town Municipality. [5]
J.J.L. Smuts 18441848
Hercules Jarvis - Merchant and Mayor of Cape Town.jpg

Hercules Jarvis

18481860
Dirk Gysbert van Breda 18601860First Term
Gilles J. de Korte18601862First Term
W. Herman18621863
Thomas Watson18631863
Joseph Barry18631865
Dirk Gysbert van Breda 18651866Second Term
Gilles J. De Korte18661871Second term. Title changed from "chairman" to "mayor" in 1867.
Philip Stigant 18711872First Term
Gilles J. de Korte18721874Third term
Philip Stigant 18741875Second term
P.U. Leibbrandt18751876
Charles Lewis 18761877First term
John Philip18771878
Jan Christoffel Hofmeyr.jpg Jan Christoffel Hofmeyr 18781879
Petrus Kotzé 18791881
William Fleming18811883
Charles Lewis 18831884Second term
Philip Stigant 18841885Third term
Thomas Inglesby 18851886Former honorary Colonel of the Cape Field Regiment [6]
John Woodhead - Mayor of Cape Town - Cape Lantern.png John Woodhead 18861887First term
Thomas O'Reilly18871888First Term
John Woodhead - Mayor of Cape Town - Cape Lantern.png John Woodhead 18881889Second Term
David Christiaan de Waal.jpg David Christiaan de Waal 18801890
David Graaff rectangle.jpg David Graaff 18901892Later Minister of Public Works and Finance. [7]
Johan Mocke18921893
John Woodhead - Mayor of Cape Town - Cape Lantern.png John Woodhead 18931894Third term
George Smart18941895
James Attwell18951896
John Woodhead - Mayor of Cape Town - Cape Lantern.png John Woodhead 18961897Fourth term
Herman Boalch18971898Died in office
Thomas Ball18981900
Thomas O'Reilly19001901Second term
William Thorne.jpg William Thorne 19011904
Iziko sang Hyman Liberman gift.jpg Hyman Liberman 19041907
William Duncan Baxter.jpg William Duncan Baxter [8] 19071908
Frank Smith 19081912

Union of South Africa (1910-1961)

NameTerm of officeAnnotation
Frank Smith 19081912
Harry Hands [9] 19121913First term
John Parker19131915First Mayor of "Greater" Cape Town after surrounding municipalities had been incorporated into the city.
Harry Hands 19151918Second term
William J. Thorne19181920
William Gardener19201922
Ryno J. Verster19221925
William Fish19251927
Andrew Reid19271929
Alfred Lewis19291931
Harry Stephan19311933
Louis Gradner19331935
James Low19351937
W.C. Foster19371939
Wilfred Brinton19391941
Walter James19411943
Ernest Nyman19431945
Abe Bloomberg 19451947
Herbert Gearing19471949
Charles Booth19491951
Fritz Sonnenberg19511953
Arthur Keen19531955
Pieter Wolmarans19551957
John Orville Billingham19571959
Joyce Newton-Thompson 19591961First female mayor

Republic of South Africa (1961-1995)

NameTerm of office
Alfred Honikman19611963
William Peters19631965
Walter Gradner19651967
Gerald Ferry19671969
Jan Dommisse19691971
Richard Friedlander 19711973
David Bloomberg 19731975
John Tyers19751977
Edward Mauerberger19771979
Louis Kreiner 19791981
M.J. Van Zyl19811983
Sol Kreiner 19831985
Leon Markovitz 19851987
Peter Muller19871989
Gordon Oliver [10] [11] 19891991
Frank Van der Velde [4] 19911993
Clive Keegan [12] 19931993
Patricia Sulcas Kreiner 19931995

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Successor to porn-watching mayor elected". Independent Newspapers. 27 September 2000.
  2. ↑ "Porn-watching mayor says sorry". Independent Newspapers. 12 September 2000.
  3. ↑ Serra, Genevieve (9 July 2025). "Tributes to Theresa Solomon: A legacy of justice and community activism". IOL. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  4. 1 2 Choruma, Shyleen (8 July 2025). "Ramaphosa mourns deaths of TWO former Cape Town mayors". The South African. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  5. ↑ Bredasdorp Archived 2003-03-20 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Gunners of The Cape - Neil Orpen
  7. ↑ Union of South Africa
  8. ↑ "William Duncan Baxter".
  9. ↑ "Two Minutes of Silence and Poppies".
  10. ↑ "Quotes about Cape Town mayoral system".
  11. ↑ "Great Guides - Roddy Bray".
  12. ↑ "Tribute to Clive Keegan, the banned activist who became a Cape Town mayor". Cape Argus. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2025– via PressReader.
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