Ladysmith is hung: IFP has 24 of 73 seats, MK wins more wards

Alfred Duma, the KwaZulu-Natal municipality that includes Ladysmith, has a hung council. With all 170 voting districts counted, the IFP has 24 of the 73 seats, 13 short of the 37 needed to govern alone (ESP; The People's Register; Counted).

The MK Party won more wards (17 to the IFP's 13) but has 22 seats once proportional representation seats are added. The IFP's share of the ward vote was 32.5%, down from 44.2% in 2021, according to IEC data on ESP. The same seat split was reported by Northern Natal News.

Who won how many seats?

Sources: ESP (IEC data), The People's Register and Counted.

Turnout was 55.0% of about 181,000 registered voters, with 98,379 valid ward votes (ESP). The IEC publishes turnout of 55.2%.

How did the ward vote split?

Source: ESP. The MK Party won 17 of the 37 wards, the IFP 13, the ANC 3, the DA 3 and Abantu Bezwelethu Congress Democracy 1.

What would it take to reach 37 seats?

This is seat arithmetic, not a prediction. No coalition had been announced in the sources used here.

Without an agreement that includes at least two of the IFP, the MK Party and the ANC, the remaining parties do not add up to a majority.

When will Alfred Duma get a mayor?

The results are still provisional. The IEC plans to announce the final 2026 local election results at 18:00 on Sunday, 8 November (eNCA), and seat allocations can still change if objections are upheld (IOL).

Once the council is declared, the municipal manager must call the first council meeting within 14 days, where councillors elect a speaker and mayor (Municipal Structures Act; Reported: what happens in a hung council).

How to check your ward result

Use the IEC's results dashboard and search for Alfred Duma (KZN238). Ward-by-ward results are also on ESP and The People's Register. Only the IEC's declaration is final.