Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Amajuba come from
Every fact on the Amajuba page, with the sources we used. We save a copy of each source on the day we read it.
Which party controls the council?
Dated reports
As of 11 Mar 2026: Cllr Thembelihle Mthembu was acting mayor of the Amajuba District Municipality, the municipality's news page says in items dated 6 and 11 March 2026.
Amajuba District Municipality. Published 11 March 2026.
Where to look: News list, items dated 11 March 2026 ('Municipal leadership engages Dannhauser community...') and 6 March 2026 ('Disaster affected households...')
As of 2 Mar 2026: Cllr T.E. Mthembu, whose first name is Thembelihle, was acting mayor, according to a municipal newsletter dated 2 March 2026. Cllr uMntwana S.O. Zulu was speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings).
Amajuba District Municipality. Published 2 March 2026.
Where to look: 'Mayor leads two-fold school state of readiness programme' article: 'The Acting Mayor of Amajuba District Municipality, Councillor T.E. Mthembu, together with the Speaker of Council, Councillor uMntwana S.O. Zulu'
As of 3 Feb 2026: The Pietermaritzburg High Court ruled that the 20 May 2025 council meeting was unlawful. That meeting elected IFP mayor Thembekile Mthembu and deputy Shaka Sithole. It came after the IFP dismissed Prince Ndabuko Zulu as mayor. The court ordered the election of a new mayor and deputy. The case was brought by the ANC and smaller parties.
Sunday Tribune. Published 3 February 2026.
Where to look: paragraphs 1-4 and 10
As of 3 Feb 2026: The Amajuba council has 29 seats. The ANC has 9 and works with the EFF's 4. ActionSA has 1. The IFP has 10 and relies on the DA's 2. Team Sugar SA has 3.
Sunday Tribune. Published 3 February 2026.
Where to look: paragraphs 5-6
As of 2 Feb 2026: After the ruling, the municipality said that IFP's Thembelihle Mthembu was acting mayor again. It also said a special council meeting would look at the judgment.
The Mercury. Published 2 February 2026.
Where to look: paragraphs 3, 9 and 11 (first name differs from the Sunday Tribune)
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 12 seats in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: pp. 1-2 of 2, seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats voters choose directly, by party. African National Congress: 4. Inkatha Freedom Party: 4. Economic Freedom Fighters: 2. Democratic Alliance: 1. Team Sugar South Africa: 1.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: pp. 1-2 of 2, seat table, Total Party Seats column
What the official records say
Audit result
The Auditor-General gave the Amajuba district council a qualified audit opinion for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.
Auditor-General of South Africa. Published 24 June 2026.
Where to look: 'Audit outcome for 2024-25' box and the change from 2023-24 under it (audit of separate financial statements, finalised by 30 April 2026)
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