# UPhongolo Local Municipality elections

The uPhongolo Local Municipality council consists of twenty-nine members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Fifteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in fifteen wards, while the remaining fourteen are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received. In the election of 1 November 2021 the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) won a majority of fifteen seats.

## Results

The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ANC | DA | EFF | IFP | NFP | Other | Total |
| 2000 election | 5 | 1 | - | 16 | - | 0 | 22 |
| 2006 election | 7 | 1 | - | 14 | - | 0 | 22 |
| 2011 election | 11 | 1 | - | 7 | 8 | 0 | 27 |
| 2016 election | 15 | 2 | 1 | 10 | - | 1 | 29 |
| 2021 election | 10 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 29 |

## December 2000 election

The following table shows the results of the 2000 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 13,184 | 68.29 | 11 | 13,943 | 72.00 | 5 | 16 |
| | African National Congress | 3,906 | 20.23 | 0 | 4,029 | 20.81 | 5 | 5 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 1,251 | 6.48 | 0 | 1,392 | 7.19 | 1 | 1 |
| | Independent candidates | 966 | 5.00 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| Total | Total | 19,307 | 100.00 | 11 | 19,364 | 100.00 | 11 | 22 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 19,307 | 97.48 | | 19,364 | 97.10 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 500 | 2.52 | | 578 | 2.90 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 19,807 | 100.00 | | 19,942 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 37,002 | 53.53 | | 37,002 | 53.89 | | |

## March 2006 election

The following table shows the results of the 2006 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 15,355 | 62.26 | 8 | 15,189 | 61.48 | 6 | 14 |
| | African National Congress | 7,760 | 31.47 | 3 | 8,120 | 32.87 | 4 | 7 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 914 | 3.71 | 0 | 878 | 3.55 | 1 | 1 |
| | Independent Democrats | 303 | 1.23 | 0 | 330 | 1.34 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent candidates | 265 | 1.07 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | National Democratic Convention | 64 | 0.26 | 0 | 188 | 0.76 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 24,661 | 100.00 | 11 | 24,705 | 100.00 | 11 | 22 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 24,661 | 98.16 | | 24,705 | 98.24 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 461 | 1.84 | | 443 | 1.76 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 25,122 | 100.00 | | 25,148 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 45,135 | 55.66 | | 45,135 | 55.72 | | |

## May 2011 election

The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | African National Congress | 12,447 | 39.67 | 7 | 12,734 | 40.46 | 4 | 11 |
| | National Freedom Party | 9,215 | 29.37 | 4 | 9,129 | 29.00 | 4 | 8 |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 8,066 | 25.71 | 3 | 8,069 | 25.64 | 4 | 7 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 1,463 | 4.66 | 0 | 1,394 | 4.43 | 1 | 1 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 132 | 0.42 | 0 | 149 | 0.47 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent candidates | 54 | 0.17 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| Total | Total | 31,377 | 100.00 | 14 | 31,475 | 100.00 | 13 | 27 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 31,377 | 98.35 | | 31,475 | 98.64 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 528 | 1.65 | | 434 | 1.36 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 31,905 | 100.00 | | 31,909 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 51,808 | 61.58 | | 51,808 | 61.59 | | |

## August 2016 election

The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | African National Congress | 18,608 | 53.74 | 12 | 19,035 | 55.05 | 3 | 15 |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 12,123 | 35.01 | 2 | 12,429 | 35.95 | 8 | 10 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 2,070 | 5.98 | 0 | 2,140 | 6.19 | 2 | 2 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 665 | 1.92 | 0 | 796 | 2.30 | 1 | 1 |
| | Independent candidates | 977 | 2.82 | 1 | | | | 1 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 183 | 0.53 | 0 | 175 | 0.51 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 34,626 | 100.00 | 15 | 34,575 | 100.00 | 14 | 29 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 34,626 | 98.11 | | 34,575 | 98.11 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 668 | 1.89 | | 665 | 1.89 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 35,294 | 100.00 | | 35,240 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 59,884 | 58.94 | | 59,884 | 58.85 | | |

## November 2021 election

The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 16,592 | 48.39 | 13 | 17,896 | 51.65 | 2 | 15 |
| | African National Congress | 11,499 | 33.54 | 2 | 11,872 | 34.27 | 8 | 10 |
| | National Freedom Party | 1,428 | 4.16 | 0 | 1,631 | 4.71 | 2 | 2 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 1,348 | 3.93 | 0 | 1,358 | 3.92 | 1 | 1 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 1,138 | 3.32 | 0 | 1,221 | 3.52 | 1 | 1 |
| | Independent candidates | 1,644 | 4.79 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 164 | 0.48 | 0 | 193 | 0.56 | 0 | 0 |
| | National People's Front | 134 | 0.39 | 0 | 148 | 0.43 | 0 | 0 |
| | Pongola People's Party | 100 | 0.29 | 0 | 138 | 0.40 | 0 | 0 |
| | African People's Convention | 79 | 0.23 | 0 | 73 | 0.21 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Mantungwa Community | 50 | 0.15 | 0 | 34 | 0.10 | 0 | 0 |
| | Abantu Batho Congress | 29 | 0.08 | 0 | 37 | 0.11 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Transformation Movement | 20 | 0.06 | 0 | 31 | 0.09 | 0 | 0 |
| | African People's Movement | 30 | 0.09 | 0 | 15 | 0.04 | 0 | 0 |
| | United Christian Democratic Party | 33 | 0.10 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| Total | Total | 34,288 | 100.00 | 15 | 34,647 | 100.00 | 14 | 29 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 34,288 | 98.53 | | 34,647 | 98.62 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 513 | 1.47 | | 484 | 1.38 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 34,801 | 100.00 | | 35,131 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 64,045 | 54.34 | | 64,045 | 54.85 | | |

### By-elections from November 2021

The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period from November 2021.
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor |
| 14 February 2024 | 2 | | Inkatha Freedom Party | | Inkatha Freedom Party |
| 19 June 2024 | 15 | | Inkatha Freedom Party | | Inkatha Freedom Party |