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.).
Xolani Ngwezi (IFP) is mayor of uMhlathuze, as reported in May 2026. A (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 (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) that run the council together) led by the IFP has governed since November 2021. In March 2026, IOL named the coalition as the IFP, DA, ACDP, NFP and VF Plus. The mayor changed from Nkonzoyakhe Donda to Xolani Ngwezi. Both are from the IFP. Deputy mayor Christo Botha of the DA died in May 2026. The (Municipality The local government for your area. It looks after local services, such as water, rubbish removal and local roads. There are 257.) website and Treasury's officials list now name Muzi (Mziwakhiwe) Mntshali as deputy mayor. Mntshali was elected as a DA (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 news report of his election. In 2021, no party won more than half of the 67 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). The ANC won 27.
What the sources said, by date
On the council's website, no date shown
Councillor Xolani Ngwezi is mayor and Cllr Muzi Mntshali is deputy mayor, according to the municipality's home page.
On the council's website, no date shown
Cllr Xolani Ngwezi is mayor of uMhlathuze and Mr Mziwakhiwe Mtshali is deputy mayor, according to National Treasury's municipal officials list. Cllr M.W. Mthenjana is speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings).
As of 13 May 2026
Deputy mayor Christo Botha of the DA died in May 2026. The DA is in a coalition with the IFP to run the City of uMhlathuze. Xolani Ngwezi is mayor.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 14 Mar 2026
The IFP's Xolani Ngwezi is mayor. The DA's Christo Botha is deputy mayor. The municipality is governed by a coalition of the IFP, DA, ACDP, NFP and VF Plus.
As of 23 Nov 2021
After the 2021 election, the DA, IFP and EFF formed a coalition. The IFP's Nkonzoyakhe Donda was elected mayor unopposed. The EFF's Nkululeko Ngubane was elected deputy mayor.
As of 9 Nov 2021
In 2021, Mziwakhiwe Mntshali was elected in uMhlathuze as a DA PR councillor. A PR councillor is a councillor a party gets from its list, to match its share of the votes. Mntshali was number 1 on the list.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 67 (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 34 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.
- ANC25
- IFP25
- DA8
- EFF6
- ACDP1
- National Freedom Party1
- 1 other party1
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 34. 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 uMhlathuze a clean audit (unqualified with no findings) for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.
This means its accounts and its reports on its work were right, and it followed the key laws.
Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
uMhlathuze has 34 (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.