Coalition talks to decide uMhlathuze and other Zululand municipalities’ fate

Several hung municipalities in KZN force coalition negotiations among political parties

November 7, 2026

Gugu Myeni 1 minute read

Coalition talks are set to begin over control of several hung municipalities in the Zululand region, including uMhlathuze.

This is after the MK Party, which leads with 27 council seats, failed to secure an outright majority in the city, forcing negotiations with other political parties to determine who will lead the municipality.

A party needs at least 36 seats to secure an outright majority and govern the City of uMhlathuze independently.

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The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) obtained 18 seats, the Democratic Alliance obtained 9 and the African National Congress (ANC) received 12 seats.

Action SA has 2 seats and the VF Plus, National Freedom Party (NFP) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) all got 1 seat each.

While the IEC is yet to declare the results of the Local government Elections, it warned that the figures remain provisional until the finalisation of objections material to an election.

“The Commission remains committed to finalising the results as expeditiously as possible, while ensuring that all prescribed verification and quality assurance processes are rigorously followed to safeguard the accuracy, transparency and integrity of the results.

“It is anticipated that the Results collation process will be concluded by the weekend,” the IEC stated.

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