Who is the mayor, and which parties run 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.). So the mayor can change between elections.
No (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) won more than half of the 222 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). The ANC won 96 of them in 2021. Cyril Xaba (ANC) has been mayor since 10 July 2024. Xaba was the mayor in office in October 2026. Zandile Myeni is deputy mayor. Myeni was elected as an NFP (Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) in 2021. In August to September 2024, the ANC offered the DA posts on committees. The DA said no. The DA said it would stay in opposition. The IFP chairs the Trading Services committee. In March 2025, the IFP said it was part of a 'government of unity' in the city. It said it had one seat on the executive committee. This is the group of councillors who help run the council. In 2024 the city was under a Section 154 support intervention. This means the province gives the council support. We found no source for a Section 139 intervention in 2025 to 2026. That is when the province steps in to run the council. We also found no source for an administrator. That is an official sent in to run the council.
Jul 2024 to now
Cyril Xaba (ANC)Current mayor
Council run by ANC, IFP and National Freedom Party. The ANC, IFP and NFP run the council in a working deal, with no signed agreement. The DA said in 2024 that it would stay in opposition. Claim by the IFP about the DA: the IFP says the DA holds three seats on the executive committee.
Nov 2021 to May 2024
Mxolisi Kaunda (ANC)
Council run by ANC and Abantu Batho Congress. The ANC recalled him at the end of May 2024 to serve in (Parliament South Africa's national law-makers, in Cape Town. It has two parts, the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces.) National Council of Provinces. The ANC had 96 of the 222 seats. That is fewer than half.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 222 (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 112 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.
- ANC96
- DA56
- EFF24
- IFP17
- ActionSA4
- Abantu Batho Congress2
- 19 other parties22
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 112. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. Grey dots are the 19 other parties, with 22 seats between them. One party has no colour on record, so it is grey too.
What has the council done?
Tap a topic to see what we checked.
Core servicesWater, lights, rubbish and roads: what your council runs.3 checks
- Council recordeThekwini lost R6.35 billion in electricity over four years, above the 10% norm each year. Verified
- Council recordeThekwini's sewage works let out wastewater below standard, and some ran without licences. Verified
- Council recordeThekwini lost R8.93 billion in water over four years, above the 30% norm each year. Verified
Housing and landHouses, informal settlements and title deeds.2 checks
Safety and jobsCrime, metro police and work in your area.2 checks
Governance and moneyCorruption, audits and budgets: how your council uses your money.3 checks
- Council recordeThekwini got an unqualified audit with findings for 2024-25, the same result ten years in a row. Verified
- Council recordeThekwini had R4.48 billion in irregular spending in 2024-25. Verified
- Claim by ANCMayor Cyril Xaba (ANC) said Treasury assessed eThekwini's 2026/27 budget as funded, credible and sustainable. Unproven
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 eThekwini 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
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
eThekwini has 111 (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.