MK Party wins 3 KZN councils outright on first try

The MK Party has won outright majorities in three KwaZulu-Natal local councils in its first municipal election: Richmond, iMpendle and Johannes Phumani Pungula (Ixopo area), according to The Outlier and Rateweb seat calculations from IEC data (updated Friday 6 November 2026, Africa/Johannesburg).

EWN reported on Friday morning that MK was the only party with an outright majority in KZN so far, leading in 12 municipalities on votes while the IFP and ANC had none secured yet.

IOL put MK on about 34.6% of the provincial vote with counting past 66% in KZN early Friday, ahead of the IFP and the ANC.

Which councils did MK win outright?

Sources: Outlier Richmond, Outlier iMpendle, Outlier Johannes Phumani Pungula; vote shares from Rateweb Richmond, Rateweb iMpendle and Rateweb uBuhlebezwe (same IEC code KZN434). All three show 100% of voting districts counted.

What do the three results mean on the ground?

Richmond is the clearest majority: MK has 10 of 17 seats after taking about 56.3% of the vote (Rateweb; Outlier). That is well above the 9 seats needed to govern alone.

iMpendle is a bare majority: MK has exactly 6 of 11 seats on about 42.6% of the vote (Outlier; Rateweb). One seat either way would have forced a coalition.

Johannes Phumani Pungula (IEC code KZN434, Ixopo area; some trackers still label it uBuhlebezwe) gives MK 14 of 27 seats on about 47.8% (Outlier; Rateweb). IOL lists the same 14-seat majority under that IEC name.

How does this sit against the rest of KZN?

MK is also the largest party in several hung councils already finished, including KwaDukuza (22 of 59) and Mandeni (17 of 35, one short of a majority) on Rateweb.

In eThekwini, counting continues. Reported covered the metro heading hung with MK largest and the DA ruling out an MK coalition: eThekwini hung council update.

EWN said that with about 68% of the provincial vote tallied, MK led on votes in 12 municipalities, while the IFP led in three and the ANC in two, none of those with an outright majority yet.

What happens next in the three majority councils?

Where a party holds more than half the seats, it can elect a mayor and pass a budget without a coalition partner. The first council meeting must still be held within 14 days after the IEC declares that council elected (Municipal Structures Act; Reported hung-council mayor timeline).

National results remain provisional. Rateweb showed about 78% of voting districts counted nationally around midday Friday, with MK on about 9.2% of the national vote.

How do I check my own council?

• IEC results dashboard
• The Outlier councils
• Rateweb live results