The ANC’s decades-long grip on KwaDukuza has been shattered, with the party losing 22 of the 27 wards it held in 2021.

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) has emerged as KwaDukuza’s largest party following its first full municipal election, securing 22 seats and 36.37% of the combined vote across all three ballots.

However, with no party winning an outright majority, the 59-seat council is likely to be governed by a coalition. The African National Congress (ANC) and Democratic Alliance (DA) each secured 14 seats.

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP, four seats), Independent Alliance (IA, two), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF, one), ActionSA (one) and African Independent Congress (AIC, one) make up the remaining nine seats. A coalition would need at least 30 seats to secure a majority.

KwaDukuza’s council comprises 30 ward councillors, directly elected by voters in their wards, and 29 proportional representation (PR) councillors, allocated according to party results.

The MKP won 17 wards, retaining Ward 28 (Shakaskraal), which it gained in a previous by-election, and taking another 16 from the ANC.

The DA won seven wards, gaining Wards 16, 17, 20 and 26 from the ANC, while holding onto its three wards around Ballito and Salt Rock.

The ANC retained Wards 7, 13, 21, 27 and 29.

The IA was the only other party to win a ward, claiming Ward 2 from the ANC.

KwaDukuza’s 30 ward councillors for the next municipal term:

Other municipalities in iLembe

KwaDukuza is one of four local municipalities within the iLembe district municipality, alongside Mandeni, Maphumulo and Ndwedwe.

Mandeni also has a hung council, with the MKP securing 17 of the 35 seats, followed by the IFP (eight), ANC (eight), DA (one) and EFF (one). A majority requires 18 seats.

Maphumulo faces a similar situation, with no party reaching the 13 seats needed for a majority in its 25-seat council. The MKP won 10 seats, followed by the IFP (eight), ANC (six) and EFF (one).

At the time of publication, only 24% of Ndwedwe’s votes had been counted, with the MKP leading the preliminary tally on about 40% support.

You can find a full list of live election results here.