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Who runs Abaqulusi?

S E Mkhwanazi (IFP) is (Mayor The leader of the municipality. Councillors choose this person, not voters. So the seats each party wins decide who can lead.) of Abaqulusi, as of 31 Aug 2025. In 2021, no (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) won more than half of the (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) in Abaqulusi.

Checked 16 Oct 2026. Sourced, not yet reviewed.

Photo: Vryheid · Jcgill1000, CC BY-SA 3.0

Checked 16 Oct 2026. Sourced, not yet reviewed.

Which party controls the council?

Voters choose the (Council The group of elected people who make decisions for a municipality. They pass its budget and choose the mayor.). The council chooses the (Mayor The leader of the municipality. Councillors choose this person, not voters. So the seats each party wins decide who can lead.).

The 2024/25 financial statements list Mr S E Mkhwanazi as mayor of Abaqulusi. In June 2023, the IFP kept the post of mayor with support from the DA and VF Plus. After a March 2026 by-election (a vote to fill one empty (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.)), the IFP holds 22 of 45 seats. That is one seat short of a majority. In 2021, no (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) won more than half of the seats. The IFP won 21 of 45. The June 2023 report describes a council of 43 seats. The 2021 (IEC The Electoral Commission of South Africa. It runs elections. It is independent, so it does not take orders from the government or any party.) report says 45 seats.

What the sources said, by date

  1. As of 19 Mar 2026

    The IFP won ward 12 from the ANC in a March 2026 by-election. The IFP now holds 22 of the 45 AbaQulusi council seats. That is one seat short of an outright majority. The ANC moved from 14 to 13 seats.

  2. This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.

    As of 31 Aug 2025

    Mr S E Mkhwanazi was mayor and Ms N P Ndlela was speaker, according to the audited annual financial statements (accounts checked by an auditor). They cover the year ended 30 June 2025.

  3. As of 21 Jun 2023

    In June 2023, the council elected Eric Mkhwanazi as mayor and Nonkululeko Ndlela as speaker (the (Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) who chairs council meetings). The IFP (21 seats) had support from the DA (2) and the Freedom Front Plus (1). The other side was a group made up of the ANC, NFP and EFF.

  4. As of 1 Dec 2022

    The IFP held ward 13 in a November 2022 by-election. A ward is an area with its own councillor. The IFP won 21 of 45 seats in 2021. It holds the post of mayor with the backing of smaller opposition parties.

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How were the seats split?

Who holds the 45 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) now, counted up to 24 Jun 2026. A (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) needs 23 seats to run the (Council The group of elected people who make decisions for a municipality. They pass its budget and choose the mayor.) on its own. No party has that many. So parties must work together to choose the (Mayor The leader of the municipality. Councillors choose this person, not voters. So the seats each party wins decide who can lead.) and pass the budget.

  • IFP22
  • ANC13
  • National Freedom Party4
  • EFF3
  • DA2
  • FF+1

Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 23. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. One party has no colour on record, so it is grey too.

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What has the council done?

We have not checked any claims about this (Council The group of elected people who make decisions for a municipality. They pass its budget and choose the mayor.) yet. That is not a mark for or against it.

Core servicesWater, lights, rubbish and roads: what your council runs.No checks yet

Housing and landHouses, informal settlements and title deeds.No checks yet

Safety and jobsCrime, metro police and work in your area.No checks yet

Governance and moneyCorruption, audits and budgets: how your council uses your money.No checks yet

What the official records say

From the Auditor-General and the national government. Every council gets the same checks. A council that is not on a list shows no row.

The Auditor-General gave Abaqulusi an unqualified audit opinion with findings for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.

This means its accounts were right, but the Auditor-General found other problems, such as broken laws or weak reports on its work.

Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026

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Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?

Abaqulusi has 23 (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.). You can only vote at the (Voting station The place where you vote, often a school or a hall. You can only vote at the one where you are registered.) where you are (Registered Your name is on the voters' roll. Registration for this election closed on 7 August 2026.).

Pick what matters to you and see which parties promised it, with a link to where it said so.

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