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.).
Mkhanyiseli Dudumayo has been executive mayor (a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions) of King Sabata Dalindyebo since 3 July 2026. The mayor changed that day. Nyaniso Nelani resigned, and the council elected Dudumayo by 30 votes to 27. Dudumayo was elected as an 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.) in 2021. We found no current source that states his (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.). The ANC has had 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.) since 2021. It won 48 of the 73 seats in 2021 and still has 48. The ANC kept the seat in the by-elections (votes to fill one empty (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) seat) of October 2022 and August 2025.
What the sources said, by date
As of 11 Aug 2026
Councillor M.S. Dudumayo is executive mayor (a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions) of King Sabata Dalindyebo.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 6 Jul 2026
The council elected Councillor Mkhanyiseli Dudumayo as Executive Mayor at a special meeting, the (Municipality The local government for your area. It looks after local services, such as water, rubbish removal and local roads. There are 257.) reported. The meeting came after former executive mayor Councillor Nyaniso Nelani resigned. Dudumayo then picked a new mayoral committee. This is the group of councillors the mayor picks to lead council departments.
As of 3 Jul 2026
On 3 July 2026, the King Sabata Dalindyebo council elected Nkosi Mkhanyiseli Dudumayo as mayor. The vote was 30 to 27. The other candidate was ward 8 councillor Makhosandile Majeke. This came after the resignation of mayor Nyaniso Nelani was announced at the same meeting.
As of 24 Jun 2026
Councillor G.N. Nelani signed the foreword of King Sabata Dalindyebo's final draft 2026/27 IDP as executive mayor. An IDP is the council's plan for its work.
As of 9 Nov 2021
Mkhanyiseli Stanely Dudumayo was elected to the King Sabata Dalindyebo council as an ANC PR councillor in 2021. A PR councillor has a seat that the party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 73 (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 37 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 48, 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.
- ANC48
- UDM11
- EFF5
- ATM3
- African Independent Congress1
- Civic Independent1
- 3 other parties3
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 37. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. Grey dots are the 3 other parties, with 1 seat each. 2 parties have no colour on record, so they are 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 King Sabata Dalindyebo 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
The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at King Sabata Dalindyebo 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?
King Sabata Dalindyebo has 37 (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)
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