Jozini council is hung: IFP leads with 18 of 49 seats

Jozini, the northern KwaZulu-Natal municipality in the uMkhanyakude District, has a hung council. With all 122 voting districts counted, the Inkatha Freedom Party has 18 of the 49 seats, seven short of the 25 needed to govern alone (The People's Register, using IEC data dated 15:17 SAST on 8 November 2026; also on ESP).

The MK Party won 11 of the 25 wards, more than any other party, but the IFP leads the council after receiving 10 PR seats. The IFP's share of the ward vote fell to 34.9% from 50.6% in 2021, according to IEC data on ESP.

Who won how many seats?

The MK Party took 11 of the 25 ward seats but only 4 PR seats. The IFP won 8 wards, then received 10 PR seats. Source: The People's Register, IEC allocation 8 November 2026, 15:17 SAST; also ESP and Counted.

Turnout was 57.8% of 121,222 registered voters (70,109 PR ballots), with 69,612 valid ward votes (ESP). The IEC publishes turnout of 58.2%.

How did the ward vote split?

Source: ESP. On the municipal PR ballot the split was similar: IFP 35.6% (24,650 votes), the MK Party 29.4% (20,349 votes) and the ANC 26.1% (18,088 votes) (The People's Register).

How does this compare with 2021?

In 2021 the IFP held 24 of the 45 seats and the ANC held 16. This year the council has grown to 49 seats. The IFP has 18, a drop of 6, while the ANC has 13, a drop of 3. The MK Party enters the council with 15 seats. Jozini Congress takes 2 seats and the EFF 1 (Counted).

On combined ward and PR votes, the IFP's share is 35.3%, down from 52.1% in 2021, and the ANC's share is 26.2%, down from 35.2% (Counted).

What would it take to reach 25 seats?

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

Because the IFP is seven seats short, only the MK Party or the ANC can take it to a majority on their own. Jozini Congress and the EFF together add only 3 seats, which would leave the IFP on 21. A government without the IFP would need the MK Party and the ANC to vote together (28 seats).

When will Jozini 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 Jozini (KZN272). Results for each ward are also on ESP and The People's Register. Only the IEC's declaration is final.