The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has secured 20 of the 47 seats in the AbaQulusi Local Municipality council, according to the latest seat allocation published on the Electoral Commission of South Africa‘s (IEC) election results website.

Although the IFP has the largest number of seats, it falls four short of the 24 needed for an outright majority. This means the party will need support from other councillors to secure a majority in council.

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) will have 13 seats, followed by the African National Congress (ANC) with eight.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has secured three seats, while the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus), National Freedom Party (NFP) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) each have one seat.

How the seats are divided

The 47 council seats comprise 24 ward seats and 23 proportional representation (PR) seats.

The IFP has 18 ward seats and two PR seats, while the MKP has three ward seats and 10 PR seats. The ANC has two ward seats and six PR seats.

The DA has one ward seat and two PR seats. The VF Plus, NFP and EFF each received one PR seat.

Seven parties to be represented in council

With the IFP holding 20 of the 47 seats, no single party has an outright majority in the AbaQulusi council. The IFP will need support from other parties to reach the 24 votes required for decisions such as the approval of the municipal budget, passing of by-laws and the imposition of rates and taxes.

For other council matters, decisions are generally taken by a majority of the votes cast at a properly constituted meeting.

The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.