The Mthonjaneni Local Municipality council consists of twenty-five members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Thirteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in thirteen wards, while the remaining twelve 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 2016 South African municipal elections when part of the disbanded Ntambanana Local Municipality was merged into it.[1]
In the election of 3 August 2016 the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) won a majority of fourteen seats on the council. The party lost its majority in the election of 1 November 2021, obtaining a plurality of twelve seats.
The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ANC | EFF | IFP | NFP | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 election | 1 | - | 10 | - | 0 | 11 |
| 2006 election | 3 | - | 8 | - | 0 | 11 |
| 2011 election | 5 | - | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| 2016 election | 10 | 1 | 14 | - | 0 | 25 |
| 2021 election | 10 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 25 |
See main article: 2000 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2000 election.[2]
See main article: 2006 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2006 election.[3]
See main article: 2011 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.[4]
See main article: 2016 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[5]
In a by-election held on 25 July 2018, a ward previously held by an ANC councillor was won by the IFP candidate.[6] Council composition was reconfigured as seen below:
| Party | Ward | PR list | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 3 | 15 | |||
| 1 | 8 | 9 | |||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Total | 13 | 12 | 25 | ||
See main article: 2021 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[7]
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period from November 2021.
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 August 2022 | 12 | ||||
| 19 July 2023[8] | 6 | ||||
| 19 June 2024[9] | 10 | ||||
After the August 2022 by-election, the IFP gained an outright majority by winning a ward from the ANC. As of June 2024, the IFP have won three consecutive wards off the ANC. The composition of the council is as follows:
| Party | Ward | List | Total | |
| 11 | 4 | 15 | ||
| 2 | 5 | 7 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Total | 13 | 12 | 25 |