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.).
BJ Thwala of the IFP is mayor of uPhongolo, in the 2024/25 financial statements. In June 2026, IOL reported that the mayor was the only IFP member left among the three office-bearers. The IFP governs in partnership with the DA, as reported in July 2026. In April 2026, a speaker (the (Councillor A person elected to make decisions for a municipality, such as the budget and who the mayor is. Each one holds one seat.) who chairs council meetings) backed by the ANC was elected after most IFP councillors stayed away. On 1 July 2026, the IFP announced it had expelled six of its uPhongolo councillors. In 2021, the IFP won 15 of the 29 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.). It lost its outright majority in April 2025, when the ANC won (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) 12 in a by-election (a vote to fill one empty ward seat). A ward is an area with its own councillor. The new seats were the IFP (14 seats), the ANC (11), the NFP (2), the DA (1) and the EFF (1).
What the sources said, by date
As of 1 Jul 2026
The IFP governs uPhongolo in partnership with the DA. On 1 July 2026, the IFP announced the expulsion of six of its uPhongolo councillors. This came after an ANC-preferred speaker candidate was elected in April 2026. Only six of the IFP's 14 councillors attended that council meeting.
This was true then. Newer rows above may change it.
As of 14 Jun 2026
ANC councillor Celiwe Nxumalo was elected speaker by 18 votes to the IFP's 10. Six votes came from beyond the ANC, EFF and NFP. Of the three office-bearers, the mayor is the only IFP member left. The IFP planned to expel six (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.).
As of 28 Nov 2025
Cllr BJ Thwala was mayor and Cllr BES Ntshangase was deputy mayor in the year ended 30 June 2025. Cllr KE Nxumalo was speaker. This is from the audited annual financial statements (accounts checked by an auditor). They do not state the (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.).
As of 3 Apr 2025
The ANC won ward 12 in a by-election on 2 April 2025. After this, the IFP lost its outright majority on the uPhongolo council. The IFP fell from 15 to 14 of 29 seats. The ANC grew from 10 to 11 seats.
As of 9 Nov 2021
Bhekinkosi Jacob Thwala was elected as an IFP ward councillor in uPhongolo in 2021. The ward is 52602004.
How were the seats split?
Who holds the 29 (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 15 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.
- IFP14
- ANC11
- National Freedom Party2
- DA1
- EFF1
Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 15. 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 uPhongolo 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
Where do I vote, and who is my ward councillor?
uPhongolo has 15 (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.