Checked 16 October 2026
Where the facts about uMhlathuze come from
Every fact on the uMhlathuze 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: Councillor Xolani Ngwezi is mayor and Cllr Muzi Mntshali is deputy mayor, according to the municipality's home page.
City of uMhlathuze. Page is undated.
Where to look: Home page leadership panel ('Deputy Mayor Cllr Muzi Mntshali') and mayor text (undated, read 2026-10-18; footer © 2026)
On the council's website, no date shown: Cllr Xolani Ngwezi is mayor of uMhlathuze and Mr Mziwakhiwe Mtshali is deputy mayor, according to National Treasury's municipal officials list. Cllr M.W. Mthenjana is speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings).
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 13 May 2026: Deputy mayor Christo Botha of the DA died in May 2026. The DA is in a coalition with the IFP to run the City of uMhlathuze. Xolani Ngwezi is mayor.
The Mercury. Published 13 May 2026.
Where to look: paragraphs 1, 2 and 6
As of 14 Mar 2026: The IFP's Xolani Ngwezi is mayor. The DA's Christo Botha is deputy mayor. The municipality is governed by a coalition of the IFP, DA, ACDP, NFP and VF Plus.
IOL. Published 14 March 2026.
Where to look: paragraphs 3 and 20
As of 23 Nov 2021: After the 2021 election, the DA, IFP and EFF formed a coalition. The IFP's Nkonzoyakhe Donda was elected mayor unopposed. The EFF's Nkululeko Ngubane was elected deputy mayor.
IOL. Published 23 November 2021.
Where to look: paragraphs 1 and 4
As of 9 Nov 2021: In 2021, Mziwakhiwe Mntshali was elected in uMhlathuze as a DA PR councillor. A PR councillor is a councillor a party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes. Mntshali was number 1 on the list.
Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Published 9 November 2021.
Where to look: KZN282 - uMhlathuze rows, DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE, PR(1)
How were the seats split?
The 2021 result
Who won the 67 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: 25 (18 ward, 7 party). Inkatha Freedom Party: 25 (12 ward, 13 party). Democratic Alliance: 8 (4 ward, 4 party). Economic Freedom Fighters: 6 (0 ward, 6 party). African Christian Democratic 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 67 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 uMhlathuze a clean audit (unqualified with no 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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