Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Mkhondo come from
Every fact on the Mkhondo 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
On the council's website, no date shown: Ngelosi Ndhlovu of the African National Congress is executive mayor. Mduduzi Ngwenya (ANC) is speaker of council. Daniel Thwala (ANC) is whip of council (the councillor who keeps a party's members voting together).
Mkhondo Local Municipality. Page is undated.
Where to look: 'Proportional Representation' table, first three rows (undated, read 2026-10-18)
As of 16 Oct 2026: Ngelosi Ndhlovu is executive mayor.
Mpumalanga Provincial Government. Page is undated.
Where to look: Municipalities table (page 2 of 3), row 'Mkhondo 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 18 Dec 2025: The ANC won Ward 14 in Harmony Park from an independent. This was in a by-election. The by-election came after the independent councillor died. This councillor was a member of the mayoral committee. That is a team of councillors who help the mayor. Daily Maverick wrote that the ANC had won all 11 Mkhondo by-elections since 2021.
Daily Maverick. Published 18 December 2025.
Where to look: Mpumalanga section 'Ward 14 (Harmony Park) Mkhondo', 'The by-election' paragraph
As of 25 Jan 2023: On 25 January 2023 an ANC motion of no confidence removed Simelane. A motion of no confidence is a council vote to remove the mayor or speaker. Ngelosi Ndhlovu (ANC) was then elected mayor.
IOL. Published 25 January 2023.
Where to look: paragraphs 1, 3 and 6
As of 15 Dec 2022: Six ANC councillors refused to take part in the 2021 mayoral vote. This let independent councillor Mthokozi Simelane become mayor, with an ATM speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings). The six were expelled. They were former mayor Vusi Motha and five ward councillors. The ANC kept all five wards in the December 2022 by-elections. It could then replace the mayor and speaker.
Daily Maverick. Published 15 December 2022.
Where to look: standfirst and Mpumalanga (Mkhondo) section, paragraphs 1-5
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 38 seats in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: pp. 1-2 of 2 (party table on p. 2 of 2), seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). African National Congress: 22 (17 ward, 5 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 7 (0 ward, 7 party). Democratic Alliance: 4 (1 ward, 3 party). African Transformation Movement: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Inkatha Freedom Party: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). National Freedom Party: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Freedom Front Plus: 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 38 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 Mkhondo a qualified audit opinion for 2024-25. That is worse than in 2023-24, when it got an unqualified opinion with findings.
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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