Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about Umhlabuyalingana come from
Every fact on the Umhlabuyalingana page, with the sources we used. We save a copy of each source on the day we read it.
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Which party controls the council?
Dated reports
As of 30 Jun 2025: Cllr TS Khumalo was executive mayor (a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions). 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 party.
uMhlabuyalingana Local Municipality. Page is undated.
Where to look: page 1, General Information, Executive committee
As of 13 Feb 2025: The IFP controls the Umhlabuyalingana municipality with the help of smaller parties. The EFF is not one of these parties. It votes with the ANC. The IFP beat the ANC in a ward 15 by-election in February 2025.
TimesLIVE. Published 13 February 2025.
Where to look: paragraphs 1-2 and 6-7 ('The IFP controls the municipality with the help of smaller parties other than the EFF, which votes with the ANC')
As of 9 Nov 2021: In 2021, Thembinkosi Sibusiso Khumalo was elected in uMhlabuyalingana as an IFP proportional representation councillor. A PR councillor is a councillor a party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes. Khumalo was number 4 on the list.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: KwaZulu-Natal, KZN271 - uMhlabuyalingana, IFP, PR(4), KHUMALO THEMBINKOSI SIBUSISO
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 39 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). Inkatha Freedom Party: 17 (10 ward, 7 party). African National Congress: 16 (10 ward, 6 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 2 (0 ward, 2 party). Abahlali Base Mkhanyakude Movement: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). African Christian Democratic Party: 1 (0 ward, 1 party). Democratic Alliance: 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 39 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 Umhlabuyalingana 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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