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Who runs Impendle?

Kho Dlamini (ANC) has been (Mayor The leader of the municipality. Councillors choose this person, not voters. So the seats each party wins decide who can lead.) of Impendle since Feb 2026. In 2021, the ANC 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 Impendle.

Checked 16 Oct 2026. Sourced, not yet reviewed.

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.).

Kho Dlamini has been mayor of Impendle since 6 February 2026, and was still mayor in July 2026. Dlamini was elected as an ANC (Ward councillor A person chosen by the voters of one ward to speak for that area on the council. You vote for them by name.) in 2021. Dlamini became mayor against his (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) instruction. The ANC suspended Dlamini. In practice, there is no working majority. This means no side can count on more than half of the votes. From 25 May 2026 the province placed the (Municipality The local government for your area. It looks after local services, such as water, rubbish removal and local roads. There are 257.) under a Section 139(1)(b) intervention. This means the province steps in to run the council. The national minister approved this on 15 June 2026. The council was not closed down early. In 2021, the ANC won 6 of the 10 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). On 4 July 2025 a motion of no confidence removed Mayor Buyisani Mlaba (ANC). This is a council vote to remove the mayor or speaker. No mayor was elected until 6 February 2026.

What the sources said, by date

  1. On the council's website, no date shown

    Kwenzakufani Melchor Dlamini is mayor of Impendle, according to National Treasury's list of municipal officials. The list shows no deputy mayor.

  2. As of 5 Aug 2026

    (Parliament South Africa's national law-makers, in Cape Town. It has two parts, the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces.) Select Committee reports the following. A motion of no confidence removed the mayor on 4 July 2025. On 6 February 2026 the council elected a speaker and mayor. On 18 May 2026 the KZN Executive Council decided to step in under Section 139(1)(b). On 25 May 2026 ministerial representative S.B. Mthembu was introduced. This is the person sent in for the intervention. On 15 June 2026 the national COGTA minister approved the intervention. The MEC said that closing the council down early would have little purpose. The MEC pointed to the elections due in November 2026.

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

    As of 10 Jul 2026

    Kho Dlamini is mayor of Impendle.

  4. As of 25 May 2026

    On 18 May 2026 the KZN Provincial Executive Council made a decision about Impendle. It decided to use Section 139(1)(b) there. This lets the province step in. The MEC appointed Sthembiso Mthembu as ministerial representative. An MEC is a provincial minister. A ministerial representative is a person sent in for the intervention. The council was not closed down early.

  5. As of 17 Feb 2026

    Kwenzakufani 'Kho' Dlamini is mayor and Zibuse Dlamini is speaker. Both were elected on 6 February 2026. They continued their duties despite their ANC suspension. KZN COGTA (the province's local government department) recognised their election.

  6. As of 8 Feb 2026

    ANC (Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) Kho Dlamini was elected mayor and Zibuse Dlamini was elected speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings). This went against an ANC instruction. The ANC then suspended four councillors, including both of them. The paper reported that the 10-seat council had no governing party.

  7. As of 2 Sep 2025

    The ANC held a small majority in the 10-seat council until July 2025. Then an IFP and EFF motion of no confidence removed ANC mayor Buyisani Mlaba. Five of the six ANC councillors stayed out of the vote. The IFP and EFF hold two seats each.

  8. As of 12 Aug 2025

    Former mayor Buyisani Mlaba was removed through a motion of no confidence pushed by opposition parties. The six ANC councillors abstained (did not vote for or against). The ANC holds six of the ten seats. No mayor had been elected by 12 August 2025.

  9. As of 9 Nov 2021

    Kwenzakufani Melchior Dlamini and Zibuse Wonderful Dlamini were elected as ANC ward councillors in Impendle in 2021. The (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) were Wards 2 and 4.

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How were the seats split?

Who holds the 10 (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 6 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. The ANC has 6, so it can 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 on its own.

  • ANC6
  • EFF2
  • IFP2

Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 6. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour.

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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 Impendle an adverse audit opinion for 2024-25. That is worse than in 2023-24, when it got an unqualified opinion with findings.

This means its accounts had big mistakes in many places.

Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026

In July 2026, the Minister of Cooperative Governance told Parliament that the intervention at Impendle is ongoing. It began on 15 June 2026, under section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution.

This means the province took over some of the council's work, because the council was not doing it.

Department of Cooperative Governance, 3 July 2026

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

Impendle has 5 (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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