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.).
Thabani Mdlalose was still mayor of Mandeni in May 2026. The executive (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 help the mayor run the council) is led by the ANC. The council adopted the 2026/27 budget on Mdlalose's proposal. Mdlalose was elected as an ANC councillor in 2021. After the November 2025 by-election, the ANC held 17 of the 35 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). That is one seat short of a majority. We found no source that names which (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) have supported the executive since November 2025. In 2021, the ANC won 19 of the 35 seats. That was a narrow majority. MK won two (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) from the ANC in 2025 by-elections (each a vote to fill one empty ward seat). A ward is an area with its own councillor.
What the sources said, by date
As of 28 May 2026
Mayor Cllr TP Mdlalose presented the final 2026/27 IDP and budget at a special council meeting on 28 May 2026. An IDP is the council's plan for the area. The council adopted the budget on the mayor's proposal. This was resolution C 121.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 26 Mar 2026
Cllr TP Mdlalose is mayor, Cllr BL Magwaza is deputy mayor and Cllr PM Sishi is speaker on the executive committee. Other members are also listed. This is from the municipal manager's quality certificate for the draft 2026/27 budget, dated 26 March 2026.
As of 27 Nov 2025
MK won ward 17 from the ANC in a by-election on 26 November 2025. It had also won ward 18 in 2025. The ANC fell from 18 to 17 seats. That is one seat short of a majority in the 35-seat council. MK now has two seats. Daily Maverick wrote that the ANC's easiest option could be the African Independent Congress. Its one seat would help the ANC keep the post of mayor.
As of 27 Nov 2025
The ANC lost its majority in the 35-seat Mandeni council after MK won ward 17. The ANC was reduced to 17 seats.
As of 30 Aug 2024
Cllr TP Mdlalose was mayor and chairman of the executive committee. Cllr BL Magwaza was deputy mayor and Cllr PM Sishi was speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings). This is from the audited annual financial statements (accounts checked by an auditor) for the year ended 30 June 2024. They do not state the parties.
As of 9 Nov 2021
In 2021, Thabani Phiwayinkosi Mdlalose was elected in Mandeni 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.) for ward 8. Bhekithemba Lawrence Magwaza was elected as an ANC PR councillor (a councillor a party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes). Magwaza was number 1 on the list.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 35 (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 18 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.
- ANC17
- IFP10
- EFF4
- MK2
- African Independent Congress1
- DA1
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 18. 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 Mandeni 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?
Mandeni has 18 (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.