Eight KZN councils cleared to elect new leaders, as hung municipalities wait
KZN CoGTA has cleared eight municipalities with outright election winners to hold their inaugural council meetings starting this week, while hung councils like eThekwini are pushed to November 23 to allow for coalition talks.
Eight municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal have been authorized by the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department to hold their first council meetings to elect Speakers, Mayors, Deputy Mayors, and Council Committees. The eight municipalities are uMngeni, Impendle, Ulundi, Nongoma, Msinga, Mthonjaneni, Nkandla, and Greater Kokstad. This decision comes after the Independent Electoral Commission announced the 2026 local government election results, which showed clear winners in these areas.
The remaining municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal, where no single party secured an outright majority, will have to wait for the results of coalition negotiations before convening their inaugural meetings. These municipalities include Mthonjaneni, Impendle, and several others. CoGTA has directed that these subsequent meetings should be postponed to the week beginning November 23, allowing for further coalition negotiations and ensuring efficient processing of the inaugural council meetings.
In contrast, eThekwini Municipality, which did not have an outright winner in the recent elections, has begun preparations for the establishment of its new council. City Manager Musa Mbhele held a meeting with representatives of political parties to outline the administrative and governance processes leading up to the inauguration of the new council.
Mbhele emphasized the strategic importance of the municipality to the national economy and highlighted the City's role as the second-largest contributor to South Africa's gross domestic product.
Despite facing significant challenges such as the floods of 2022, eThekwini Municipality has continued to improve service delivery and governance. The latest business satisfaction survey showed a 30% improvement in service delivery. Key matters discussed during the meeting included the registration and onboarding of newly elected councillors, verification processes to match registered members with official IEC Gazette lists, and the preparation of a comprehensive councillor database for the 2026-2031 term.
The City Manager also outlined the main governance and planning processes the new Council will undertake, such as developing and reviewing the Integrated Development Plan, approving the 2027/28 municipal budget, and creating the Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan. These plans are crucial for driving service delivery and development priorities across the City. The administration remains committed to supporting the newly elected Council and ensuring a seamless transition into office.
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