# Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality elections

The Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality council consists of seventy-one members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Thirty-six councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in thirty-six wards, while the remaining thirty-five 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 3 August 2016 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of forty-seven seats on the council.

## Results

The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ACDP | AIC | ANC | DA | EFF | FF+ | IFP | Other | Total |
| 2000 election | 1 | – | 28 | 13 | – | – | 16 | 0 | 58 |
| 2006 election | 1 | – | 39 | 7 | – | 1 | 9 | 1 | 58 |
| 2011 election | 0 | – | 41 | 11 | – | 0 | 3 | 3 | 58 |
| 2016 election | – | 2 | 47 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 71 |
| 2021 election | 1 | 1 | 37 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 71 |

## December 2000 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 | 21,099 | 47.80 | 16 | 21,016 | 47.59 | 12 | 28 |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 12,194 | 27.62 | 6 | 12,012 | 27.20 | 10 | 16 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 9,325 | 21.12 | 7 | 9,996 | 22.64 | 6 | 13 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 1,134 | 2.57 | 0 | 1,135 | 2.57 | 1 | 1 |
| | Independent candidates | 392 | 0.89 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| Total | Total | 44,144 | 100.00 | 29 | 44,159 | 100.00 | 29 | 58 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 44,144 | 97.50 | | 44,159 | 97.33 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,130 | 2.50 | | 1,211 | 2.67 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 45,274 | 100.00 | | 45,370 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 95,504 | 47.41 | | 95,504 | 47.51 | | |

## 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 | 36,049 | 66.47 | 23 | 36,565 | 67.39 | 16 | 39 |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 8,688 | 16.02 | 1 | 8,663 | 15.97 | 8 | 9 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 6,742 | 12.43 | 5 | 6,789 | 12.51 | 2 | 7 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 851 | 1.57 | 0 | 821 | 1.51 | 1 | 1 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 442 | 0.82 | 0 | 667 | 1.23 | 1 | 1 |
| | Minority Front | 497 | 0.92 | 0 | 587 | 1.08 | 1 | 1 |
| | Independent candidates | 903 | 1.67 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | Independent Heritage South Party | 13 | 0.02 | 0 | 165 | 0.30 | 0 | 0 |
| | National Democratic Convention | 46 | 0.08 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| Total | Total | 54,231 | 100.00 | 29 | 54,257 | 100.00 | 29 | 58 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 54,231 | 98.15 | | 54,257 | 98.06 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,020 | 1.85 | | 1,071 | 1.94 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 55,251 | 100.00 | | 55,328 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 105,589 | 52.33 | | 105,589 | 52.40 | | |

## 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 | 54,658 | 69.93 | 21 | 55,515 | 70.52 | 20 | 41 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 14,580 | 18.65 | 8 | 14,769 | 18.76 | 3 | 11 |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 4,526 | 5.79 | 0 | 4,539 | 5.77 | 3 | 3 |
| | National Freedom Party | 2,347 | 3.00 | 0 | 2,189 | 2.78 | 2 | 2 |
| | Congress of the People | 608 | 0.78 | 0 | 615 | 0.78 | 1 | 1 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 375 | 0.48 | 0 | 442 | 0.56 | 0 | 0 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 356 | 0.46 | 0 | 311 | 0.40 | 0 | 0 |
| | Minority Front | 217 | 0.28 | 0 | 197 | 0.25 | 0 | 0 |
| | United Democratic Movement | 219 | 0.28 | 0 | 140 | 0.18 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent candidates | 278 | 0.36 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| Total | Total | 78,164 | 100.00 | 29 | 78,717 | 100.00 | 29 | 58 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 78,164 | 98.41 | | 78,717 | 98.75 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,263 | 1.59 | | 1,000 | 1.25 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 79,427 | 100.00 | | 79,717 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 124,629 | 63.73 | | 124,629 | 63.96 | | |

## 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 | 68,387 | 66.73 | 27 | 67,021 | 65.83 | 20 | 47 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 20,082 | 19.60 | 9 | 20,075 | 19.72 | 5 | 14 |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 7,850 | 7.66 | 0 | 7,431 | 7.30 | 5 | 5 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 3,380 | 3.30 | 0 | 3,335 | 3.28 | 2 | 2 |
| | African Independent Congress | 797 | 0.78 | 0 | 3,216 | 3.16 | 2 | 2 |
| | Independent candidates | 1,359 | 1.33 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 623 | 0.61 | 0 | 729 | 0.72 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 102,478 | 100.00 | 36 | 101,807 | 100.00 | 35 | 71 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 102,478 | 98.14 | | 101,807 | 97.91 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,937 | 1.86 | | 2,171 | 2.09 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 104,415 | 100.00 | | 103,978 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 170,849 | 61.12 | | 170,849 | 60.86 | | |

## 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 | 41,660 | 51.92 | 25 | 41,279 | 51.63 | 12 | 37 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 15,895 | 19.81 | 10 | 15,783 | 19.74 | 4 | 14 |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 8,912 | 11.11 | 1 | 9,017 | 11.28 | 7 | 8 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 7,843 | 9.78 | 0 | 8,137 | 10.18 | 7 | 7 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 1,254 | 1.56 | 0 | 1,144 | 1.43 | 1 | 1 |
| | Independent candidates | 1,772 | 2.21 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | African Independent Congress | | | | 1,307 | 1.63 | 1 | 1 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 616 | 0.77 | 0 | 653 | 0.82 | 1 | 1 |
| | Justice and Employment Party | 454 | 0.57 | 0 | 576 | 0.72 | 1 | 1 |
| | African Transformation Movement | 467 | 0.58 | 0 | 546 | 0.68 | 1 | 1 |
| | People's Freedom Party | 358 | 0.45 | 0 | 329 | 0.41 | 0 | 0 |
| | Abantu Batho Congress | 313 | 0.39 | 0 | 295 | 0.37 | 0 | 0 |
| | United Democratic Movement | 164 | 0.20 | 0 | 198 | 0.25 | 0 | 0 |
| | National Freedom Party | 166 | 0.21 | 0 | 168 | 0.21 | 0 | 0 |
| | Spectrum National Party | 147 | 0.18 | 0 | 109 | 0.14 | 0 | 0 |
| | The Organic Humanity Movement | 135 | 0.17 | 0 | 93 | 0.12 | 0 | 0 |
| | African People's Movement | 52 | 0.06 | 0 | 108 | 0.14 | 0 | 0 |
| | United Independent Movement | 23 | 0.03 | 0 | 111 | 0.14 | 0 | 0 |
| | National Religious Freedom Party | | | | 55 | 0.07 | 0 | 0 |
| | Patriotic Alliance | 4 | 0.00 | 0 | 48 | 0.06 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 80,235 | 100.00 | 36 | 79,956 | 100.00 | 35 | 71 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 80,235 | 98.30 | | 79,956 | 98.00 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,390 | 1.70 | | 1,632 | 2.00 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 81,625 | 100.00 | | 81,588 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 170,946 | 47.75 | | 170,946 | 47.73 | | |

### By-elections from November 2021

The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period since the election in November 2021.
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor |
| 8 Mar 2023 | 24 | African National Congress | African National Congress |
| 13 Dec 2023 | 23 | African National Congress | African National Congress |
| 11 Sep 2024 | 14 | African National Congress | uMkhonto weSizwe |
| 11 Sep 2024 | 24 | African National Congress | African National Congress |
In a ward 24 by-election, held on 8 March 2023 after the resignation of the ANC councillor, the ANC retained the ward in spite of a large swing to the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
After the 11 Sep 2024 by-elections, the council was reconfigured as below:
| Party | Party | Seats | Seats | Seats |
| Party | Party | Ward | List | Total |
| | African National Congress | 24 | 12 | 36 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 10 | 4 | 14 |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| | Freedom Front Plus | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| | African Independent Congress | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| | Justice and Employment Party | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| | African Transformation Movement | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| | uMkhonto weSizwe (political party) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 36 | 35 | 71 |