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Who runs uThukela?

Inkosi Ntandoyenkosi Shabalala (IFP) is (Mayor The leader of the municipality. Councillors choose this person, not voters. So the seats each party wins decide who can lead.) of uThukela, as of 9 Mar 2026. In 2021, no (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) won more than half of the (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) voters choose directly in uThukela.

Checked 16 Oct 2026. Sourced, not yet reviewed.

Photo: Ladysmith · Michael Gundelfinger, CC BY 3.0

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.).

This (District council A council over several local municipalities. It runs services for the whole area. There are 44. Voters outside the metros also vote for it.) is led by the IFP, and Inkosi Ntandoyenkosi Shabalala is mayor, IOL reported in March 2026. The 2024/25 financial statements and National Treasury also name Shabalala as mayor. Shabalala was elected as an IFP (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. These sources name Mbuzeleni Cyril Mkhize as deputy mayor. Mkhize was an IFP (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. In 2021, no (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) won more than half of the 14 (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) voters choose directly. The IFP won 6 and the ANC won 5. In May 2023, the ANC and EFF tried to remove the IFP leadership. They did not succeed. We found no source for the full make-up of the district council.

What the sources said, by date

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

    This is from National Treasury's list of municipal officials. It names Ntandoyenkosi Bisset Shabalala as mayor of uThukela District. It names Mbuzeleni Cyril Mkhize as deputy mayor.

  2. As of 9 Mar 2026

    uThukela District Municipality is under the leadership of the IFP. Inkosi Ntandoyenkosi Shabalala is mayor.

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

    As of 15 Jan 2026

    The audited 2024/25 annual financial statements list 'Mayor His Worship Cllr. Shabalala N.B.'

  4. As of 9 Nov 2021

    Ntandoyenkosi Bisset Shabalala was elected in 2021 for Alfred Duma. Shabalala got a PR seat for the IFP. This is a seat from the party's list. It is to match the party's share of the votes. Mbuzeleni Cyril Mkhize won a (Ward A small area inside a municipality. Each one elects one councillor.) for the IFP. It was Inkosi Langalibalele Ward 16.

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How were the seats split?

Voters choose 14 of this (District council A council over several local municipalities. It runs services for the whole area. There are 44. Voters outside the metros also vote for it.) (Seat A place on the council, held by one councillor. A party with more votes gets more of these places.) directly. The (Local municipality A municipality for a town or rural area outside the metros. There are 205.) send the other members. A (Party A group of people who stand for election together, with shared plans.) needs 8 of these 14 seats to win more than half of them. No party has that many.

  • IFP6
  • ANC5
  • African People's Movement1
  • DA1
  • EFF1

Each dot is one seat. The dot with a ring is seat 8. That is more than half of the seats voters choose directly. 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 the uThukela district council a qualified audit opinion for 2024-25. It got the same result in 2023-24.

This means some parts of its accounts had big mistakes, or it could not show proof for some amounts.

Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026

The Auditor-General found a going concern uncertainty at the uThukela district council in 2024-25, for the ninth year in a row.

This means there is serious doubt that the council can keep paying its bills and keep working.

Auditor-General of South Africa, 24 June 2026

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How does voting work here?

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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