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.).
Mbali Cele-Luthuli is mayor of Umdoni. Cele-Luthuli was named mayor in early 2024. The (Municipality The local government for your area. It looks after local services, such as water, rubbish removal and local roads. There are 257.) lists Cele-Luthuli as the 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.) for Ward 16. Phila Thabethe is deputy mayor. Thabethe was elected 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.) in 2021. We found no official or news source that names the ANC's partners. In 2021, no (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) won more than half of the 37 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). According to the municipality's count, the ANC now has 18 of them. This is after a 2022 by-election. A by-election is a vote to fill one empty (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) seat. In September 2024, KZN COGTA placed the council under a Section 154 support intervention. KZN COGTA is the province's local government department. This intervention means the province gives the council support.
What the sources said, by date
On the council's website, no date shown
M Cele-Luthuli is listed under 'Mayor' as chairperson of the executive committee on the municipality's Exco page. P Thabethe is listed under 'Deputy Mayor'.
On the council's website, no date shown
The council currently has 37 seats, the municipality states. The make-up is ANC 18, DA 6, EFF 5, IFP 5, ABC 1, Al Jama-ah 1 and AM4C 1.
On the council's website, no date shown
Cllr M Cele-Luthuli is the ANC ward councillor for Ward 16, according to the municipality's council page.
On the council's website, no date shown
This is from National Treasury's list of municipal officials. It names Mbali Cele-Luthuli as mayor of Umdoni. It names Phila Thabethe as deputy mayor.
As of 30 Sep 2024
The KZN provincial government announced a Section 154(1) intervention in Umdoni. It was meant to deal with problems in how the council is run. It was also meant to deal with problems in how services reach people. The government appointed a local government expert to support the municipality.
As of 30 Sep 2024
Mbali Cele-Luthuli is mayor of Umdoni.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 9 Nov 2021
Mbali Judith Cele was elected as the ANC ward councillor for uMdoni Ward 16 in 2021. Phila Elvis Thabethe was also elected as the ANC ward councillor for Ward 9.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 37 (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 19 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.
- ANC18
- DA6
- EFF5
- IFP5
- Abantu Batho Congress1
- Al Jama-ah1
- 1 other party1
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 19. That is how many seats one party needs to run the council alone. Each party shows in its own colour. Grey dots are the other party, with 1 seat. 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 Umdoni 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?
Umdoni has 19 (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.