Where the facts about Impendle come from

On the council's website, no date shown: Kwenzakufani Melchor Dlamini is mayor of Impendle, according to National Treasury's list of municipal officials. The list shows no deputy mayor.

As of 5 Aug 2026: Parliament's Select Committee reports the following. A motion of no confidence removed the mayor on 4 July 2025. On 6 February 2026 the council elected a speaker and mayor. On 18 May 2026 the KZN Executive Council decided to step in under Section 139(1)(b). On 25 May 2026 ministerial representative S.B. Mthembu was introduced. This is the person sent in for the intervention. On 15 June 2026 the national COGTA minister approved the intervention. The MEC said that closing the council down early would have little purpose. The MEC pointed to the elections due in November 2026.

As of 10 Jul 2026: Kho Dlamini is mayor of Impendle.

As of 25 May 2026: On 18 May 2026 the KZN Provincial Executive Council made a decision about Impendle. It decided to use Section 139(1)(b) there. This lets the province step in. The MEC appointed Sthembiso Mthembu as ministerial representative. An MEC is a provincial minister. A ministerial representative is a person sent in for the intervention. The council was not closed down early.

As of 17 Feb 2026: Kwenzakufani 'Kho' Dlamini is mayor and Zibuse Dlamini is speaker. Both were elected on 6 February 2026. They continued their duties despite their ANC suspension. KZN COGTA (the province's local government department) recognised their election.

As of 8 Feb 2026: ANC councillor Kho Dlamini was elected mayor and Zibuse Dlamini was elected speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings). This went against an ANC instruction. The ANC then suspended four councillors, including both of them. The paper reported that the 10-seat council had no governing party.

As of 2 Sep 2025: The ANC held a small majority in the 10-seat council until July 2025. Then an IFP and EFF motion of no confidence removed ANC mayor Buyisani Mlaba. Five of the six ANC councillors stayed out of the vote. The IFP and EFF hold two seats each.

As of 12 Aug 2025: Former mayor Buyisani Mlaba was removed through a motion of no confidence pushed by opposition parties. The six ANC councillors abstained (did not vote for or against). The ANC holds six of the ten seats. No mayor had been elected by 12 August 2025.

As of 9 Nov 2021: Kwenzakufani Melchior Dlamini and Zibuse Wonderful Dlamini were elected as ANC ward councillors in Impendle in 2021. The wards were Wards 2 and 4.

Who won the 10 seats in 2021.

The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). African National Congress: 6 (5 ward, 1 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 2 (0 ward, 2 party). Inkatha Freedom Party: 2 (0 ward, 2 party).

Who holds the 10 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.

The Auditor-General gave Impendle an adverse audit opinion for 2024-25. That is worse than in 2023-24, when it got an unqualified opinion with findings.

In July 2026, the Minister of Cooperative Governance told Parliament that the intervention at Impendle is ongoing. It began on 15 June 2026, under section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution.