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.).
Gabriel Malembe (IFP) is mayor. 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 (October 2026) names Cllr G.Z. Malembe as mayor. In March 2026, the council was reported as governed by an IFP-ANC (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). At that time, the ANC's regional task team said a motion of no confidence against Malembe was being prepared. This is a council vote to remove the mayor or speaker. In 2021, no party won more than half of the 27 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). The ANC won 10, the IFP 9, the ABC 7 and the DA 1. An IFP-ABC coalition from 2021 gave way to an ANC-ABC council. In June 2023, Philani Mavundla (ABC) became mayor. The ANC and IFP removed Mavundla in 2024. Gabriel Malembe (IFP) returned as mayor. An October 2025 vote to replace Malembe with Mfundo Masondo (ABC) was declared invalid by the KZN COGTA MEC (the province's minister for local government).
What the sources said, by date
On the council's website, no date shown
His Worship Cllr G.Z. Malembe is mayor and Cllr M.R. Dlamini is deputy mayor, according to the municipality's home page.
As of 11 Mar 2026
Umvoti is governed by an IFP-ANC coalition, with Gabriel Malembe (IFP) as mayor. The ANC and IFP removed Mavundla in 2024. The ANC's regional task team said a motion of no confidence (a council vote to remove the mayor or speaker) against Malembe was being prepared.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 3 Nov 2025
IOL reported that the ANC and ABC removed IFP mayor Gabriel Malembe from power. It reported that they replaced him with the ABC's Mfundo Masondo.
As of 21 Oct 2025
The KZN COGTA MEC declared invalid a council meeting held in October 2025. It was meant to elect ABC (Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) Mfundo Masondo as mayor. COGTA said it recognises Gabriel Malembe (IFP) as mayor of Umvoti.
As of 21 Jun 2023
In June 2023 the ANC and ABC removed the IFP from power. Philani Mavundla (ABC) replaced Gabriel Malembe (IFP) as mayor. Mfundo Masondo (ABC) became speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings). Ntombi Ngubane (ANC) became deputy mayor.
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. 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.
- IFP11
- ANC9
- Abantu Batho Congress6
- DA1
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. 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 Umvoti an unqualified audit opinion with findings for 2024-25. That is worse than in 2023-24, when it got a clean audit.
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?
Umvoti 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.
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.