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.).
Mbulelo Jara (ANC) is mayor of Mhlontlo, according to the council's final 2024/25 annual report (April 2026). 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 40 of the 51 seats in 2021 and still has 40. 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 November 2022 and November 2023. The council is not under an administrator (an official sent in to run the council). According to the Daily Dispatch (7 October 2026), the MEC (a member of the provincial government) assigned an acting municipal manager at the council's request. The municipal manager is the council's top official, and acting means standing in for now.
What the sources said, by date
On the council's website, no date shown
Mbulelo Jara is mayor of Mhlontlo.
As of 11 Apr 2026
(Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) M.G. Jara was the full-time mayor of Kumkani Mhlontlo, according to the (Municipality The local government for your area. It looks after local services, such as water, rubbish removal and local roads. There are 257.) final 2024/25 annual report. Jara was an ANC PR councillor. A PR councillor has a seat that the (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) gets from its list, to match its share of the votes.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 51 (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 26 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 40, 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.
- ANC40
- EFF3
- UDM3
- ATM2
- DA1
- Independent South African National Civic Organisation1
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 26. 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 Mhlontlo a qualified audit opinion for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.
This means some parts of its accounts had big mistakes, or it could not show proof for some amounts.
Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
Mhlontlo has 26 (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.