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 ANC's Vusi Nhlapho is still executive mayor of Emalahleni. This is a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions. The (Municipality The local government for your area. It looks after local services, such as water, rubbish removal and local roads. There are 257.) newsletter for July-September 2026 names Nhlapho. No (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) has held a majority since 1 October 2025. On that day the DA won Ward 26 from the ANC. The ANC has 34 of the 68 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). No source states a formal (Coalition Parties that agree to run a council together, usually because none has more than half the seats alone. Together they choose the mayor.) or agreement. A coalition is a group of parties that run the council together. Daily Maverick wrote that the ANC was likely to rely on the AIC's one seat. In 2021, the ANC won 35 of the 68 seats.
What the sources said, by date
As of 16 Oct 2026
Vusi Julius Nhlapho is executive mayor.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 5 Oct 2026
Vusi Nhlapho (also written Cllr VJ Nhlapho) is executive mayor, according to the municipality's newsletter for July-September 2026. N.M. Shabangu is speaker of council (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).
As of 2 Oct 2025
The DA won Ward 26 in Ga-Nala/Kriel from the ANC in a by-election (a vote to fill one empty (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) seat). This left the ANC with 34 of 68 seats and no party with a majority.
As of 2 Oct 2025
The DA won Ward 26 in Ga-Nala/Kriel from the ANC in a by-election. This left the ANC with 34 of 68 seats. No party had a majority. Daily Maverick wrote that the ANC was likely to turn to the AIC's one seat to pass key decisions and the budget.
As of 23 Jul 2024
Leah Mabuza resigned as executive mayor on 2 July 2024. She left to join the provincial legislature. The Citizen reported that Vusi Nhlapho was likely to take her place. Nhlapho was an MMC, a member of the mayoral committee. Nhlapho is a member of the ANC's provincial executive committee.
As of 23 Jul 2024
In July 2024 The Citizen named MMC Vusi Nhlapho as the likely replacement for mayor Leah Mabuza. Nhlapho had served the municipality as an ANC councillor and PR councillor. A PR councillor holds a seat that a party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes.
As of 28 Jun 2023
On 28 June 2023 the council elected Leah Mabuza as executive mayor in place of Conny Nkalitshana. Until then, Mabuza was Nkangala district mayor.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 68 (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 35 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.
- ANC34
- DA14
- EFF14
- FF+4
- ACDP1
- African Independent Congress1
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 35. 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.
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 Emalahleni 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
In July 2026, the Minister of Cooperative Governance told Parliament that the intervention at Emalahleni is ongoing. It began in October 2018, under section 139(5) of the Constitution.
This means the province stepped in because the council was in a serious money crisis. The council must follow a plan to fix its finances (a financial recovery plan).
Department of Cooperative Governance, 3 July 2026
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at Emalahleni in 2024-25, for the ninth year in a row.
This means there is serious doubt that the council can keep paying its bills and keep working.
Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
Emalahleni has 34 (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.
Take the quizFind your town to see your ward, your voting station and every name on your papers.
Or check with the IEC
- Who is my ward councillor now?IEC lookup. Shows your ward and who represents it now. (IEC website)
- Voting station finderIEC map. Find the station where you are registered. (IEC website)
Spotted a mistake? Report a mistake. Every change is logged on the Corrections page.