uMfolozi Local Municipality elections

The uMfolozi Local Municipality council consists of thirty-five members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Eighteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in eighteen wards, while the remaining seventeen 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.^[1]

In the election of 3 August 2016 the African National Congress (ANC) won a narrow majority of seventeen seats on the council.

In the election of 1 November 2021 the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) won a majority of eighteen seats.

Results

The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.

Event	ANC	DA	EFF	IFP	NFP	Other	Total
2000 election	6	1	-	18	-	-	25
2006 election	9	1	-	14	-	1	25
2011 election	17	0	-	10	3	0	30
2016 election	17	0	1	15	-	0	33
2021 election	13	0	3	18	1	0	35

The following table shows the results of the 2000 election.^[2]


Party		Ward			List			Total seats
Party		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats	Total seats
	Inkatha Freedom Party	14,630	73.65	13	14,331	72.26	5	18
	African National Congress	5,080	25.58	0	4,923	24.82	6	6
	Democratic Alliance	153	0.77	0	579	2.92	1	1
Total		19,863	100.00	13	19,833	100.00	12	25

Valid votes		19,863	96.93		19,833	96.94
Invalid/blank votes		629	3.07		625	3.06
Total votes		20,492	100.00		20,458	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		42,649	48.05		42,649	47.97

The following table shows the results of the 2006 election.^[3]


Party		Ward			List			Total seats
Party		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats	Total seats
	Inkatha Freedom Party	15,280	56.66	9	14,990	55.75	5	14
	African National Congress	10,021	37.16	4	10,242	38.09	5	9
	National Democratic Convention	756	2.80	0	835	3.11	1	1
	Democratic Alliance	463	1.72	0	540	2.01	1	1
	African Christian Democratic Party	292	1.08	0	281	1.05	0	0
	Independent candidates	156	0.58	0				0
Total		26,968	100.00	13	26,888	100.00	12	25

Valid votes		26,968	98.43		26,888	98.27
Invalid/blank votes		431	1.57		473	1.73
Total votes		27,399	100.00		27,361	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		47,494	57.69		47,494	57.61

The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.^[4]


Party		Ward			List			Total seats
Party		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats	Total seats
	African National Congress	21,311	53.76	10	22,081	55.84	7	17
	Inkatha Freedom Party	12,894	32.53	5	12,400	31.36	5	10
	National Freedom Party	4,406	11.12	0	4,417	11.17	3	3
	Democratic Alliance	495	1.25	0	648	1.64	0	0
	Independent candidates	533	1.34	0				0
Total		39,639	100.00	15	39,546	100.00	15	30

Valid votes		39,639	98.03		39,546	98.20
Invalid/blank votes		798	1.97		723	1.80
Total votes		40,437	100.00		40,269	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		59,141	68.37		59,141	68.09

The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.^[5]


Party		Ward			List			Total seats
Party		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats	Total seats
	African National Congress	22,501	47.34	8	24,374	51.36	9	17
	Inkatha Freedom Party	20,976	44.13	9	20,747	43.72	6	15
	Economic Freedom Fighters	1,518	3.19	0	1,491	3.14	1	1
	Independent candidates	1,826	3.84	0				0
	Democratic Alliance	713	1.50	0	847	1.78	0	0
Total		47,534	100.00	17	47,459	100.00	16	33

Valid votes		47,534	98.35		47,459	98.37
Invalid/blank votes		797	1.65		787	1.63
Total votes		48,331	100.00		48,246	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		74,341	65.01		74,341	64.90

The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.^[6]


Party		Ward			List			Total seats
Party		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats	Total seats
	Inkatha Freedom Party	18,884	48.83	14	19,572	50.57	4	18
	African National Congress	14,622	37.81	4	14,230	36.77	9	13
	Economic Freedom Fighters	3,223	8.33	0	3,359	8.68	3	3
	Independent candidates	632	1.63	0				0
	National Freedom Party	292	0.76	0	304	0.79	1	1
	Democratic Alliance	303	0.78	0	272	0.70	0	0
	African Independent Congress	145	0.37	0	375	0.97	0	0
	Abantu Batho Congress	170	0.44	0	161	0.42	0	0
	African People's Movement	109	0.28	0	125	0.32	0	0
	African Christian Democratic Party	100	0.26	0	93	0.24	0	0
	South Africa Vuka Movement	87	0.22	0	69	0.18	0	0
	African Mantungwa Community	53	0.14	0	53	0.14	0	0
	African Transformation Movement	23	0.06	0	53	0.14	0	0
	United Christian Democratic Party	31	0.08	0	34	0.09	0	0
Total		38,674	100.00	18	38,700	100.00	17	35

Valid votes		38,674	98.35		38,700	98.35
Invalid/blank votes		647	1.65		648	1.65
Total votes		39,321	100.00		39,348	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		74,081	53.08		74,081	53.11

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 newly elected councillor
3 August 2022^[7]	52801003		Inkatha Freedom Party		Inkatha Freedom Party

^ "Ntambanana municipality to dissolve in September". Zululand Observer. 22 April 2016.
^ "Election Result Table for LGE2000 — Mfolozi". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
^ "Election Result Table for LGE2006 — Mfolozi". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
^ "Election Result Table for LGE2011 — Mfolozi". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
^ "Election Result Table for LGE2016 — Mfolozi". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
^ "Election Result Table for LGE2021 — Mfolozi". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
^ "Municipal By-elections results - Electoral Commission of South Africa". results.elections.org.za. Retrieved 4 August 2022.