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Who runs Umzumbe?

Bongani Goodman Nyuswa (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 Umzumbe. No (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) now has more than half of the 39 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) in Umzumbe. In 2021, the ANC won more than half.

Checked 16 Oct 2026. Sourced, not yet reviewed.

Photo: Umzumbe · MaureenvdB, CC BY-SA 4.0

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.).

Bongani Nyuswa is mayor, according to National Treasury's list of municipal officials and the national government directory. Neither list has a date. Nyuswa 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. In February 2026, the ANC still held the mayor's post under its agreement with the IFP to share the top posts. Mlungisi Ndlovu was elected as an IFP councillor in 2021 and is deputy mayor. The ANC and IFP agreed in July 2024 to govern together. The ANC keeps the mayor and chief whip (the councillor who leads the (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) members in votes). The IFP takes the deputy mayor and speaker (the councillor who chairs council meetings). In 2021, the ANC won 21 of the 39 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.), which is a majority. Since the June 2024 by-elections (votes to fill one empty (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) seat), no party has more than half of the 39 seats. The ANC has 17 and the IFP has 17.

What the sources said, by date

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

    The national government contact directory lists Cllr Bongani Nyuswa as executive mayor (a mayor who makes many of the council's decisions) of Umzumbe.

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

    Bongani Goodman Nyuswa is mayor and Mlungisi Ndlovu is deputy mayor of uMzumbe, according to National Treasury's municipal officials list.

  3. As of 12 Feb 2026

    Before the Ward 13 by-election of 11 February 2026, the ANC and IFP held 17 seats each in the 39-seat council. The EFF held 2 seats. ATM, APEMO and MK held 1 seat each. The IFP held the ward and stayed tied with the ANC as the largest party.

  4. As of 12 Feb 2026

    The ANC holds the mayoralty in uMzumbe under a power-sharing agreement with the IFP.

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

    As of 18 Jul 2024

    The ANC lost its majority in the June 2024 by-elections. This left the ANC and IFP with 17 councillors each. The two parties agreed to govern uMzumbe together. The ANC keeps the mayor, the council chief whip and the chair of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee. The IFP takes the deputy mayor and speaker posts.

  6. As of 18 Jun 2024

    In the June 2024 by-elections, the IFP won three wards, the ANC kept two and MK won one. The by-elections were held after six 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.), who the ANC had suspended, switched to MK.

  7. As of 15 Feb 2024

    In February 2024 a council meeting called by the suspended ANC speaker elected IFP councillor Mlungisi Ndlovu as mayor. A court declared that meeting invalid. Bongani Nyuswa said he was still mayor.

  8. As of 9 Nov 2021

    Bongani Goodman Nyuswa was elected in uMzumbe in 2021. Nyuswa was an ANC PR councillor (a seat from the party's list, to match its share of the votes). Mlungisi Ndlovu was elected as an IFP PR councillor.

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How were the seats split?

Who holds the 39 (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 20 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.

  • ANC17
  • IFP17
  • EFF2
  • African People's Movement1
  • ATM1
  • MK1

Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 20. 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.

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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 Umzumbe an unqualified audit opinion with findings for 2024-25. That is better than in 2023-24, when it got an adverse 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

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

Umzumbe has 20 (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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