# UMhlathuze Local Municipality elections

The uMhlathuze Local Municipality council consists of sixty-seven members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Thirty-four councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in thirty-four wards, while the remaining thirty-three are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received.
The municipality was enlarged at the time of the South African municipal election, 2016 when part of the disbanded Ntambanana Local Municipality was merged into it.
In the election of 3 August 2016 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of forty-three seats on the council.
In the 2021 South African municipal elections the ANC lost its majority, winning a plurality of twenty-seven seats on the council.

## Results

The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ACDP | ANC | DA | EFF | FF+ | IFP | NFP | Other | Total |
| 2000 election | 1 | 19 | 9 | - | - | 30 | - | 1 | 60 |
| 2006 election | 1 | 28 | 4 | - | 1 | 24 | - | 2 | 60 |
| 2011 election | 0 | 36 | 6 | - | 0 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 60 |
| 2016 election | 0 | 43 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 13 | - | 0 | 67 |
| 2021 election | 1 | 27 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 67 |

## 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 | 19,150 | 50.66 | 16 | 18,914 | 49.97 | 14 | 30 |
| | African National Congress | 12,064 | 31.91 | 10 | 12,222 | 32.29 | 9 | 19 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 5,168 | 13.67 | 4 | 5,595 | 14.78 | 5 | 9 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 802 | 2.12 | 0 | 734 | 1.94 | 1 | 1 |
| | Pan Africanist Congress of Azania | 372 | 0.98 | 0 | 228 | 0.60 | 1 | 1 |
| | United Democratic Movement | 69 | 0.18 | 0 | 160 | 0.42 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent candidates | 176 | 0.47 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| Total | Total | 37,801 | 100.00 | 30 | 37,853 | 100.00 | 30 | 60 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 37,801 | 98.29 | | 37,853 | 98.39 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 656 | 1.71 | | 618 | 1.61 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 38,457 | 100.00 | | 38,471 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 102,907 | 37.37 | | 102,907 | 37.38 | | |

## 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 |
| | African National Congress | 25,743 | 46.45 | 18 | 26,134 | 47.26 | 10 | 28 |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 21,997 | 39.69 | 10 | 22,451 | 40.60 | 14 | 24 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 3,862 | 6.97 | 2 | 3,599 | 6.51 | 2 | 4 |
| | National Democratic Convention | 2,155 | 3.89 | 0 | 1,803 | 3.26 | 2 | 2 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 364 | 0.66 | 0 | 464 | 0.84 | 1 | 1 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 345 | 0.62 | 0 | 340 | 0.61 | 1 | 1 |
| | Pan Africanist Congress of Azania | 286 | 0.52 | 0 | 293 | 0.53 | 0 | 0 |
| | Minority Front | 230 | 0.42 | 0 | 211 | 0.38 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent candidates | 437 | 0.79 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| Total | Total | 55,419 | 100.00 | 30 | 55,295 | 100.00 | 30 | 60 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 55,419 | 98.37 | | 55,295 | 98.33 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 917 | 1.63 | | 940 | 1.67 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 56,336 | 100.00 | | 56,235 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 122,237 | 46.09 | | 122,237 | 46.00 | | |

## 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 | 51,478 | 57.91 | 23 | 55,622 | 62.66 | 13 | 36 |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 15,275 | 17.18 | 1 | 14,938 | 16.83 | 9 | 10 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 8,560 | 9.63 | 4 | 9,060 | 10.21 | 2 | 6 |
| | National Freedom Party | 8,551 | 9.62 | 0 | 8,246 | 9.29 | 6 | 6 |
| | Independent candidates | 3,673 | 4.13 | 2 | | | | 2 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 746 | 0.84 | 0 | 288 | 0.32 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 441 | 0.50 | 0 | 428 | 0.48 | 0 | 0 |
| | South African Democratic Congress | 164 | 0.18 | 0 | 182 | 0.21 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 88,888 | 100.00 | 30 | 88,764 | 100.00 | 30 | 60 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 88,888 | 98.60 | | 88,764 | 98.29 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,259 | 1.40 | | 1,546 | 1.71 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 90,147 | 100.00 | | 90,310 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 154,544 | 58.33 | | 154,544 | 58.44 | | |

## August 2016 election

The following table shows the results of the 1916 election.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | African National Congress | 72,737 | 62.91 | 30 | 74,587 | 64.63 | 13 | 43 |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 21,937 | 18.97 | 1 | 21,512 | 18.64 | 12 | 13 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 13,244 | 11.45 | 3 | 13,495 | 11.69 | 5 | 8 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 4,180 | 3.62 | 0 | 4,331 | 3.75 | 3 | 3 |
| | Independent candidates | 2,546 | 2.20 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 492 | 0.43 | 0 | 570 | 0.49 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 402 | 0.35 | 0 | 433 | 0.38 | 0 | 0 |
| | Isithunzi Som-Afrika Econo Fighters | 84 | 0.07 | 0 | 486 | 0.42 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 115,622 | 100.00 | 34 | 115,414 | 100.00 | 33 | 67 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 115,622 | 98.84 | | 115,414 | 98.71 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,355 | 1.16 | | 1,511 | 1.29 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 116,977 | 100.00 | | 116,925 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 195,576 | 59.81 | | 195,576 | 59.78 | | |

## 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 |
| | African National Congress | 33,827 | 40.33 | 20 | 32,396 | 38.67 | 7 | 27 |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 28,714 | 34.23 | 10 | 29,303 | 34.98 | 13 | 23 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 9,889 | 11.79 | 4 | 9,854 | 11.76 | 4 | 8 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 7,627 | 9.09 | 0 | 7,768 | 9.27 | 6 | 6 |
| | National Freedom Party | 771 | 0.92 | 0 | 760 | 0.91 | 1 | 1 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 713 | 0.85 | 0 | 729 | 0.87 | 1 | 1 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 541 | 0.64 | 0 | 608 | 0.73 | 1 | 1 |
| | African Independent Congress | 27 | 0.03 | 0 | 876 | 1.05 | 0 | 0 |
| | Abantu Batho Congress | 302 | 0.36 | 0 | 289 | 0.34 | 0 | 0 |
| | African People's Movement | 300 | 0.36 | 0 | 286 | 0.34 | 0 | 0 |
| | Justice and Employment Party | 240 | 0.29 | 0 | 316 | 0.38 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent candidates | 446 | 0.53 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | South Africa Vuka Movement | 197 | 0.23 | 0 | 166 | 0.20 | 0 | 0 |
| | United Christian Democratic Party | 118 | 0.14 | 0 | 79 | 0.09 | 0 | 0 |
| | Black First Land First | 74 | 0.09 | 0 | 101 | 0.12 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Transformation Movement | 45 | 0.05 | 0 | 123 | 0.15 | 0 | 0 |
| | United Independent Movement | 11 | 0.01 | 0 | 91 | 0.11 | 0 | 0 |
| | Congregational Christian Unity | 40 | 0.05 | 0 | 29 | 0.03 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 83,882 | 100.00 | 34 | 83,774 | 100.00 | 33 | 67 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 83,882 | 98.71 | | 83,774 | 98.64 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,092 | 1.29 | | 1,159 | 1.36 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 84,974 | 100.00 | | 84,933 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 192,916 | 44.05 | | 192,916 | 44.03 | | |
The African National Congress lost its majority, and an Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) led coalition, supported by the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), took control of the municipality. Nkonzoyakhe Donda (IFP) was elected mayor, Nkululeko Ngubane (EFF) deputy mayor and Tobias Gumede (IFP) Speaker.

### By-elections from November 2021

The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period from the election in 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 September 2022 | 12 | | African National Congress | | Inkatha Freedom Party |
| 27 September 2023 | 13 | | African National Congress | | Inkatha Freedom Party |
The 2022 by-election took place after the ANC representative, facing community pressure, resigned. With the victory, the IFP solidified its coalition hold on council.
After the assassination of an African Christian Democratic Party councillor, the ANC's ward 13 councillor resigned after a failed assassination attempt on his life, triggering a by-election in September 2023. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) won the by-election, solidifying their governing coalition supported by the Democratic Alliance (DA), Freedom Front Plus (FF+) and ACDP, and no longer reliant on the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).