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.).
Mzimkhulu Thebolla (ANC) has been mayor since the 2021 election. Thebolla presented the 2026/27 budget in May 2026. IOL reported in August 2025 that the ANC leads the council. In 2021, no (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) won more than half of the 81 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). The ANC has 40. Thebolla was elected with the support of the African Independent Congress's one (Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.). The Mail & Guardian (Aug 2022) gives the total as 41 of 81. We found no source from 2025 to 2026 that repeats the ANC's partners. The (Municipality The local government for your area. It looks after local services, such as water, rubbish removal and local roads. There are 257.) was under a Section 139(1)(b) intervention (the province steps in to run the council) from 2018 to 2024. Since then the province has given Section 154 support (support from the province for the council).
What the sources said, by date
As of 29 May 2026
Mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla presented Msunduzi's 2026/27 budget. It is the last budget before the November 2026 elections.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 6 Aug 2025
Msunduzi is led by the ANC. Mzimkhulu Thebolla, a former ANC regional chairperson, is mayor. An ANC task team's report was expected to recommend changes to the political leadership.
As of 18 Jul 2025
A parliamentary reply of 18 July 2025 says Msunduzi was under a Section 139(1)(b) intervention between 2018 and 2024. It says the province increased its Section 154 support after the intervention was lifted. This included a technical support expert.
As of 18 Aug 2022
The ANC has 40 of 81 seats. It won the mayoral election at Msunduzi with the support of the African Independent Congress, which holds one seat. The (Coalition Parties that agree to run a council together, usually because none has more than half the seats alone. Together they choose the mayor.) (a group of parties that run the council together) led by the ANC controls the council with 41 seats against the opposition's 40. Mzimkhulu Thebolla is serving his second term as mayor.
As of 9 Nov 2021
Mzimkhulu Meshack Thebolla was elected in Msunduzi in 2021. Thebolla was an ANC PR councillor (a seat from the party's list, to match its share of the votes).
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 81 (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 41 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.
- ANC40
- DA16
- EFF10
- IFP8
- Abantu Batho Congress2
- ACDP1
- 3 other parties3
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 41. 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. 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 Msunduzi an unqualified audit opinion with findings for 2024-25. That is better than in 2023-24, when it got a qualified opinion.
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?
Msunduzi has 41 (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.