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Who runs Ubuhlebezwe?

Elizabeth Bathobile Ngubo (ANC) is (Mayor The leader of the municipality. Councillors choose this person, not voters. So the seats each party wins decide who can lead.) of Ubuhlebezwe, as of 16 Oct 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 Ubuhlebezwe.

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.).

Elizabeth Bathobile Ngubo is executive mayor of Johannes Phumani Phungula, the council once called uBuhlebezwe. The national government contact directory listed her in October 2026. An executive mayor makes many of the council's decisions. Ngubo 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 change in who controls the council. On 27 May 2025, the council got a new name at a ceremony in Ixopo. The new name is Johannes Phumani Phungula Local Municipality. In 2021, the ANC won 18 of the 27 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). That is a majority. The council was then called uBuhlebezwe.

What the sources said, by date

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

    Elizabeth Bathobile Ngubo is mayor and Zinhle Lucky Miya is deputy mayor, according to National Treasury's municipal officials list. T.C. Dlamini is speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings).

  2. As of 16 Oct 2026

    The national government contact directory lists the Johannes Phumani Phungula Local Municipality. Its website is ubuhlebezwe.gov.za. The directory names Cllr Elizabeth Bathobile Ngubo as executive mayor.

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

    As of 27 May 2025

    The Ubuhlebezwe Local Municipality got a new name on Tuesday 27 May 2025. It was renamed after Johannes Phumani Phungula. This was at a ceremony at the municipal headquarters in Ixopo.

  4. As of 9 Nov 2021

    In 2021, Elizabeth Bathobile Ngubo was elected in uBuhlebezwe as an ANC PR councillor. A PR councillor is a councillor a (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) gets from its list, to match its share of the votes. Ngubo was number 1 on the list.

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How were the seats split?

Who holds the 27 (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 14 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 18, 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.

  • ANC18
  • EFF3
  • IFP2
  • African Independent Congress1
  • DA1
  • National Freedom Party1

Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 14. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. 2 parties have no colour on record, so they are grey too.

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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 Ubuhlebezwe 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

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

Ubuhlebezwe has 14 (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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