Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Mbhashe come from
Every fact on the Mbhashe 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 15 Sep 2026: Councillor Samkelo Nicholas Janda is executive mayor of Mbhashe.
Mbhashe Local Municipality. Published 15 September 2026.
Where to look: home page, mayor photo caption ('Executive Mayor- Cllr Samkelo Nicholas Janda') and news items posted 15 Sep 2026 naming 'Executive Mayor, Dr Samkelo Janda'
As of 11 Jun 2026: Councillor Samkelo Janda is executive mayor of Mbhashe, according to the foreword to the final 2026/27 IDP.
Mbhashe Local Municipality. Published 11 June 2026.
Where to look: PDF p. 7, Executive Mayor's Foreword signature ('Cllr Samkelo Janda, Executive Mayor'). Date is the PDF creation date
As of 9 Nov 2021: Samkelo Nicholas Janda was elected as an ANC PR councillor in Mbhashe in 2021. A PR councillor has a seat that the party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: Eastern Cape, EC121 Mbhashe, AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS PR(14)
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 63 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: 45 (30 ward, 15 party). United Democratic Movement: 8 (1 ward, 7 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 4 (0 ward, 4 party). African Transformation Movement: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Alliance for Transformation for All: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Batho Pele Movement: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Democratic Alliance: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Pan Africanist Congress of Azania: 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 63 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 Mbhashe 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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