Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Mandeni come from
Every fact on the Mandeni 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 28 May 2026: Mayor Cllr TP Mdlalose presented the final 2026/27 IDP and budget at a special council meeting on 28 May 2026. An IDP is the council's plan for the area. The council adopted the budget on the mayor's proposal. This was resolution C 121.
Mandeni Local Municipality. Published 28 May 2026.
Where to look: Section 1.1 Mayor's Report (heading: 'address by His Worship, the Mayor Cllr TP Mdlalose ... meeting held on 28 May 2026') and section 1.2 Council resolutions (C 121, council 28/05/2026)
As of 26 Mar 2026: Cllr TP Mdlalose is mayor, Cllr BL Magwaza is deputy mayor and Cllr PM Sishi is speaker on the executive committee. Other members are also listed. This is from the municipal manager's quality certificate for the draft 2026/27 budget, dated 26 March 2026.
Mandeni Local Municipality. Published 26 March 2026.
Where to look: Certificate date line and 'Executive Committee' footer
As of 27 Nov 2025: MK won ward 17 from the ANC in a by-election on 26 November 2025. It had also won ward 18 in 2025. The ANC fell from 18 to 17 seats. That is one seat short of a majority in the 35-seat council. MK now has two seats. Daily Maverick wrote that the ANC's easiest option could be the African Independent Congress. Its one seat would help the ANC keep the post of mayor.
Daily Maverick. Published 27 November 2025.
Where to look: Section 'Ward 17 (Mathonsi) Mandeni, iLembe', last three paragraphs ('The win for the MK means the ANC loses its outright majority in Mandeni...')
As of 27 Nov 2025: The ANC lost its majority in the 35-seat Mandeni council after MK won ward 17. The ANC was reduced to 17 seats.
News24. Published 27 November 2025.
Where to look: Paragraphs 2 and 5 ('...has pushed the ANC out of its council majority'; 'The ANC has now been reduced to only 17 seats')
As of 30 Aug 2024: Cllr TP Mdlalose was mayor and chairman of the executive committee. Cllr BL Magwaza was deputy mayor and Cllr PM Sishi was speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings). This is from the audited annual financial statements (accounts checked by an auditor) for the year ended 30 June 2024. They do not state the parties.
Mandeni Local Municipality. Published 30 August 2024.
Where to look: page 1, General Information, Members of Executive Council; approval on page 5 dated 30 August 2024
As of 9 Nov 2021: In 2021, Thabani Phiwayinkosi Mdlalose was elected in Mandeni as an ANC ward councillor for ward 8. Bhekithemba Lawrence Magwaza was elected as an ANC PR councillor (a councillor a party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes). Magwaza was number 1 on the list.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: KZN291 - Mandeni rows, AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS, ward 52901008 and PR(1)
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 35 seats in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: 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: 17 (14 ward, 3 party). Inkatha Freedom Party: 10 (2 ward, 8 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 4 (0 ward, 4 party). uMkhonto weSizwe Party: 2 (2 ward, 0 party). African Independent Congress: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Democratic Alliance: 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 35 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 Mandeni 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)
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