Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Nkandla come from
Every fact on the Nkandla 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 31 Aug 2025: Cllr N.F.J Nzuza was appointed mayor and Cllr N.P.N Magubane deputy mayor on 15 April 2025. Cllr S.O Sibiya was speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings). Cllr M.B Biyela is recorded as deceased on 15 December 2024. This is from the audited annual financial statements (accounts checked by an auditor) for the year ended 30 June 2025. They do not state the parties.
Nkandla Local Municipality. Published 31 August 2025.
Where to look: page 1, General Information; approval on page 7 dated 31 August 2025
As of 19 Dec 2024: Nkandla mayor Mbhekiseni 'Bhejani' Biyela of the IFP died in December 2024.
Daily News. Published 19 December 2024.
Where to look: paragraph 1
As of 9 Nov 2021: In 2021, Nonhlanhla Fortunate Jabulisiwe Nzuza and Nokuthula Patience Nokubekezela Magubane were elected as IFP councillors in Nkandla. Nzuza was number 2 on the PR list (the party list that gives a party seats to match its share of the votes). Magubane was elected for ward 10. A ward is an area with its own councillor.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: KZN286 - Nkandla rows, INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY, PR(2) and ward 52806010
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 27 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: 16 (12 ward, 4 party). African National Congress: 10 (2 ward, 8 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 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 27 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 Nkandla 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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