Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Mthonjaneni come from
Every fact on the Mthonjaneni 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: M N Biyela is mayor of Mthonjaneni, according to National Treasury's municipal officials list. P.E. Ntombela is deputy mayor and N.A. Mbatha is speaker.
National Treasury. Page is undated.
Where to look: Officials list, Mayor/Executive Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Speaker rows (undated, read 2026-10-18)
As of 21 Oct 2025: Mbangiseni Biyela was mayor, a municipal news item dated 21 October 2025 says. It uses the words 'uMhlonishwa uMeya uMbangiseni Biyela'.
Mthonjaneni Local Municipality. Published 21 October 2025.
Where to look: Post title and first paragraph (post dated 21 October 2025 on the site's news list)
As of 18 Jul 2024: Cllr M.N. Biyela was mayor and Cllr P.E. Ntombela was deputy mayor, according to the municipality's 2022/23 annual report. Cllr N.A. Mbatha was speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings). The report does not state the parties of these office-bearers. In the 25-seat council, the IFP had 13 seats, the ANC 8, the ACU 1, the EFF 1 and the NFP 1. It says one seat was empty after an ANC councillor resigned.
Mthonjaneni Local Municipality. Page is undated.
Where to look: pages 25-26, council composition and office-bearers (as_of is the Treasury filing date in the file name)
As of 20 Jun 2024: The IFP won ward 10 from the ANC in a by-election on 19 June 2024. It was the third ward the IFP won from the ANC in Mthonjaneni since 2021. The new seat count in the 25-seat council is IFP 15, ANC 7, Academic Congress Union 1, EFF 1 and NFP 1.
Daily Maverick. Published 20 June 2024.
Where to look: Section 'Ward 10 (Nomponjwana Mabhensa) Mthonjaneni': 'The by-election' paragraph and 'New Mthonjaneni seat allocation' line
As of 1 Dec 2022: In November 2022 the IFP won ward 5 from the ANC in a by-election. A by-election is a vote to fill one empty ward seat. The council has 25 seats. Now the IFP has 13 seats and the ANC has 9. The NFP, the EFF and the ACU have 1 each. This means the IFP no longer needs a smaller party's support to keep the post of mayor.
Daily Maverick. Published 1 December 2022.
Where to look: Ward 5 (Mthonjaneni) entry
As of 9 Nov 2021: In 2021, Mbangiseni Ndabayakhe Biyela and Phumlani Emmanuel Ntombela were elected as IFP PR councillors in Mthonjaneni. A PR councillor is a councillor a party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes. Biyela was number 1 on the list and Ntombela was number 2.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: KZN285 - Mthonjaneni rows, INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY, PR(1) and PR(2)
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 25 seats in 2021.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Page is undated.
Where to look: p. 2 of 2, seat table, Total Party Seats column
Every party
The seats now, by party (ward seats and party seats). Inkatha Freedom Party: 15 (11 ward, 4 party). African National Congress: 7 (2 ward, 5 party). Academic Congress Union: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). National Freedom Party: 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 25 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 Mthonjaneni 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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