Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Emalahleni come from
Every fact on the Emalahleni (Mpumalanga) page, with the sources we used. We save a copy of each source on the day we read it.
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Which party controls the council?
Dated reports
As of 16 Oct 2026: Vusi Julius Nhlapho is executive mayor.
Mpumalanga Provincial Government. Page is undated.
Where to look: Municipalities table (page 1 of 3), row 'Emalahleni Local Municipality', column 'Executive mayor'. The table is undated (footer 'Copyright 2026'); it names mayors elected in late 2024, so it was updated no earlier than Nov 2024. Read 2026-10-16. Party not shown.
As of 5 Oct 2026: Vusi Nhlapho (also written Cllr VJ Nhlapho) is executive mayor, according to the municipality's newsletter for July-September 2026. N.M. Shabangu is speaker of council (the councillor who chairs council meetings).
Emalahleni Local Municipality. Published 5 October 2026.
Where to look: pp. 1-6, articles headed 'Executive Mayor Cllr VJ Nhlapho ...' and the initiation-school item naming 'Speaker of Council, Cllr N.M. Shabangu' (newsletter posted 5 Oct 2026)
As of 2 Oct 2025: The DA won Ward 26 in Ga-Nala/Kriel from the ANC in a by-election (a vote to fill one empty ward seat). This left the ANC with 34 of 68 seats and no party with a majority.
Daily Maverick. Published 2 October 2025.
Where to look: standfirst and Mpumalanga section, 'Ward 26 (Ga-Nala Kriel) Emalahleni, Nkangala'
As of 2 Oct 2025: The DA won Ward 26 in Ga-Nala/Kriel from the ANC in a by-election. This left the ANC with 34 of 68 seats. No party had a majority. Daily Maverick wrote that the ANC was likely to turn to the AIC's one seat to pass key decisions and the budget.
Daily Maverick. Published 2 October 2025.
Where to look: Mpumalanga section, 'Ward 26 (Ga-Nala Kriel) Emalahleni, Nkangala': 'The Emalahleni council is now hung as the ANC falls to 34 seats' and 'The ANC is likely to turn to the African Independent Congress (AIC)'
As of 23 Jul 2024: Leah Mabuza resigned as executive mayor on 2 July 2024. She left to join the provincial legislature. The Citizen reported that Vusi Nhlapho was likely to take her place. Nhlapho was an MMC, a member of the mayoral committee. Nhlapho is a member of the ANC's provincial executive committee.
The Citizen. Published 23 July 2024.
Where to look: opening paragraphs: 'Vusi Nhlapho, is likely to be the new mayor' and 'He will replace Leah Mabuza, who resigned on 2 July'; paragraph 9: 'He is currently a member of the ANC's provincial executive committee'
As of 23 Jul 2024: In July 2024 The Citizen named MMC Vusi Nhlapho as the likely replacement for mayor Leah Mabuza. Nhlapho had served the municipality as an ANC councillor and PR councillor. A PR councillor holds a seat that a party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes.
The Citizen. Published 23 July 2024.
Where to look: section 'The likely candidate', paragraphs 1-3
As of 28 Jun 2023: On 28 June 2023 the council elected Leah Mabuza as executive mayor in place of Conny Nkalitshana. Until then, Mabuza was Nkangala district mayor.
Sowetan. Published 28 June 2023.
Where to look: paragraphs 1-3: 'She has been replaced by Nkangala district mayor Leah Mabuza' and 'Leah Mabuza ... was today elected as executive mayor of Emalahleni'
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 68 seats in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: pp. 1-3 of 3 (party table on p. 3 of 3), seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). African National Congress: 34 (27 ward, 7 party). Democratic Alliance: 14 (7 ward, 7 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 14 (0 ward, 14 party). Freedom Front Plus: 4 (0 ward, 4 party). African Christian Democratic Party: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). African Independent Congress: 1 (0 ward, 1 party).
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 24 June 2026.
Where to look: winning party per ward for every by-election since 2021 (dashboard data files: MapsJason/2021/ByElections.js and LoadCouncillorsService); read 2026-10-18
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: ward councillor rows for this council (party per ward elected in 2021)
The seats now
Who holds the 68 seats now, counted up to 24 Jun 2026. How we count: This is our own count, not an official IEC table. We start with the 2021 party seats from the IEC. Then we add the party that last won each ward, in 2021 or in a by-election. Party seats stay with their party, and councillors can't switch parties. So only ward by-elections change these totals. An empty seat is counted with the party that last held it. The IEC lists by-elections on 5 Oct 2022, but it does not show who won them. So any ward that changed hands that day is not counted.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 24 June 2026.
Where to look: winning party per ward for every by-election since 2021 (dashboard data files: MapsJason/2021/ByElections.js and LoadCouncillorsService); read 2026-10-18
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: ward councillor rows for this council (party per ward elected in 2021)
What the official records say
Audit result
The Auditor-General gave Emalahleni an unqualified audit opinion with findings 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)
Government stepped in
In July 2026, the Minister of Cooperative Governance told Parliament that the intervention at Emalahleni is ongoing. It began in October 2018, under section 139(5) of the Constitution.
Department of Cooperative Governance. Published 3 July 2026.
Where to look: reply (a), table of municipalities under intervention, 'Emalahleni LM' row: type of intervention, date instituted, status Ongoing
Doubt it can pay its bills
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at Emalahleni in 2024-25, for the ninth year in a row.
Auditor-General of South Africa. Published 24 June 2026.
Where to look: p. 50 (PDF page 54), 'Sixty-two municipalities with going concern uncertainty and consecutive years in this position', Mpumalanga, 'Emalahleni LM' row; p. 49 explains the measure
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