# Mbhashe Local Municipality elections

The Mbhashe Local Municipality council (within the South African Amathole District Municipality) consists of sixty-three members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Thirty-two councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in thirty-two wards, while the remaining thirty-one 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 African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of forty-five seats.

## Results

The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ANC | COPE | DA | EFF | IND | PAC | UDM | Other | Total |
| 2000 election | 28 | — | — | — | 0 | — | 19 | — | 47 |
| 2006 election | 43 | — | 0 | — | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 51 |
| 2011 election | 41 | 9 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 61 |
| 2016 election | 47 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 63 |
| 2021 election | 45 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 63 |

## 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 |
| | African National Congress | 27,682 | 59.17 | 17 | 27,753 | 59.90 | 11 | 28 |
| | United Democratic Movement | 18,413 | 39.36 | 7 | 18,580 | 40.10 | 12 | 19 |
| | Independent candidates | 690 | 1.47 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| Total | Total | 46,785 | 100.00 | 24 | 46,333 | 100.00 | 23 | 47 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 46,785 | 96.38 | | 46,333 | 96.48 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,757 | 3.62 | | 1,690 | 3.52 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 48,542 | 100.00 | | 48,023 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 80,639 | 60.20 | | 80,639 | 59.55 | | |

## 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 | 52,865 | 84.35 | 26 | 52,367 | 83.54 | 17 | 43 |
| | United Democratic Movement | 7,931 | 12.65 | 0 | 8,996 | 14.35 | 7 | 7 |
| | Pan Africanist Congress of Azania | 960 | 1.53 | 0 | 714 | 1.14 | 1 | 1 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 379 | 0.60 | 0 | 289 | 0.46 | 0 | 0 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 259 | 0.41 | 0 | 322 | 0.51 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent candidates | 277 | 0.44 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| Total | Total | 62,671 | 100.00 | 26 | 62,688 | 100.00 | 25 | 51 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 62,671 | 97.56 | | 62,688 | 97.94 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,565 | 2.44 | | 1,318 | 2.06 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 64,236 | 100.00 | | 64,006 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 100,465 | 63.94 | | 100,465 | 63.71 | | |

## 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 | 39,997 | 61.91 | 28 | 41,962 | 70.26 | 13 | 41 |
| | Congress of the People | 9,026 | 13.97 | 0 | 9,086 | 15.21 | 9 | 9 |
| | United Democratic Movement | 6,719 | 10.40 | 1 | 6,798 | 11.38 | 6 | 7 |
| | Independent candidates | 7,256 | 11.23 | 2 | | | | 2 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 654 | 1.01 | 0 | 678 | 1.14 | 1 | 1 |
| | African People's Convention | 269 | 0.42 | 0 | 515 | 0.86 | 1 | 1 |
| | Pan Africanist Congress of Azania | 243 | 0.38 | 0 | 302 | 0.51 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 277 | 0.43 | 0 | 263 | 0.44 | 0 | 0 |
| | United Independent Front | 165 | 0.26 | 0 | 116 | 0.19 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 64,606 | 100.00 | 31 | 59,720 | 100.00 | 30 | 61 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 64,606 | 97.32 | | 59,720 | 92.70 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,782 | 2.68 | | 4,704 | 7.30 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 66,388 | 100.00 | | 64,424 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 113,875 | 58.30 | | 113,875 | 56.57 | | |

## 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 | 48,135 | 70.54 | 30 | 50,370 | 75.73 | 17 | 47 |
| | United Democratic Movement | 9,309 | 13.64 | 0 | 10,147 | 15.26 | 9 | 9 |
| | Independent candidates | 6,442 | 9.44 | 2 | | | | 2 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 1,942 | 2.85 | 0 | 2,401 | 3.61 | 2 | 2 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 1,437 | 2.11 | 0 | 1,533 | 2.30 | 2 | 2 |
| | Congress of the People | 406 | 0.59 | 0 | 751 | 1.13 | 1 | 1 |
| | Pan Africanist Congress of Azania | 375 | 0.55 | 0 | 466 | 0.70 | 0 | 0 |
| | African People's Convention | 54 | 0.08 | 0 | 496 | 0.75 | 0 | 0 |
| | United Front of the Eastern Cape | 140 | 0.21 | 0 | 350 | 0.53 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 68,240 | 100.00 | 32 | 66,514 | 100.00 | 31 | 63 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 68,240 | 98.14 | | 66,514 | 96.08 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,294 | 1.86 | | 2,716 | 3.92 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 69,534 | 100.00 | | 69,230 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 129,921 | 53.52 | | 129,921 | 53.29 | | |

## 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 | 36,734 | 66.49 | 30 | 39,028 | 71.59 | 15 | 45 |
| | United Democratic Movement | 6,361 | 11.51 | 1 | 7,368 | 13.52 | 7 | 8 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 3,041 | 5.50 | 0 | 3,386 | 6.21 | 4 | 4 |
| | Independent candidates | 5,439 | 9.85 | 1 | | | | 1 |
| | African Transformation Movement | 1,122 | 2.03 | 0 | 1,186 | 2.18 | 1 | 1 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 809 | 1.46 | 0 | 771 | 1.41 | 1 | 1 |
| | Batho Pele Movement | 554 | 1.00 | 0 | 596 | 1.09 | 1 | 1 |
| | Alliance for Transformation for All | 287 | 0.52 | 0 | 614 | 1.13 | 1 | 1 |
| | Pan Africanist Congress of Azania | 292 | 0.53 | 0 | 415 | 0.76 | 1 | 1 |
| | African Democrats | 192 | 0.35 | 0 | 410 | 0.75 | 0 | 0 |
| | African People's Convention | 195 | 0.35 | 0 | 191 | 0.35 | 0 | 0 |
| | Congress of the People | 63 | 0.11 | 0 | 322 | 0.59 | 0 | 0 |
| | Al Jama-ah | 155 | 0.28 | 0 | 88 | 0.16 | 0 | 0 |
| | Power of Africans Unity | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 142 | 0.26 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 55,244 | 100.00 | 32 | 54,517 | 100.00 | 31 | 63 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 55,244 | 97.64 | | 54,517 | 96.78 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,334 | 2.36 | | 1,813 | 3.22 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 56,578 | 100.00 | | 56,330 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 122,433 | 46.21 | | 122,433 | 46.01 | | |

### 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 |
| 25 January 2023 | 5 | African National Congress | African National Congress |
| 14 September 2023 | 1 | African National Congress | African National Congress |
| 14 September 2023 | 2 | African National Congress | African National Congress |
In a ward 5 by-election on 25 January, held after the death of the ANC councillor, the ANC candidate retained the seat for the party.