Richards Bay, Newcastle, Pietermaritzburg results: MK leads 4 KZN towns
Provisional IEC results show the MK Party ahead in Richards Bay, Newcastle, Port Shepstone and KwaDukuza, the IFP in Ladysmith and Vryheid, and the DA in early Pietermaritzburg counts.
The MK Party is ahead in Richards Bay, Newcastle, Port Shepstone and the KwaDukuza (Ballito and Stanger) council, while the DA leads early counting in Pietermaritzburg, according to provisional IEC results compiled by The Outlier on Thursday afternoon. The IFP leads in Ladysmith and Vryheid.
Most of these councils are less than a third counted, so leads can still change. Newcastle and uMngeni (Howick) are the furthest along.
Who leads in each major KZN council?
| Council | Main town | Counted | Leader | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| uMngeni | Howick | 98% | DA 63.6% | MK 17.4% |
| Newcastle | Newcastle | 67% | MK 30.6% | DA 18.6% |
| uMhlathuze | Richards Bay | 32% | MK 41.1% | IFP 31.6% |
| KwaDukuza | Stanger, Ballito | 28% | MK 38.9% | ANC 23.6% |
| Ray Nkonyeni | Port Shepstone | 26% | MK 42.2% | ANC 33.8% |
| Alfred Duma | Ladysmith | 26% | IFP 35.4% | ANC 27.1% |
| AbaQulusi | Vryheid | 22% | IFP 41.3% | MK 29.1% |
| Msunduzi | Pietermaritzburg | 10% | DA 47.2% | MK 23.9% |
Source: The Outlier council results, from IEC data. Counted is the share of voting districts captured; vote shares are of votes counted so far.
Which councils look likely to be hung?
In every council in the table except uMngeni, the leader is below 50% so far, which points to coalition deals. Newcastle is the most split, with four parties above 10%. In Ladysmith the ANC and MK Party are less than a point apart for second place (The Outlier).
Msunduzi, the provincial capital, has only 25 of its 240 voting districts in, so the early DA lead says little about the final result.
What happens if no party wins a majority?
Parties must form a coalition or minority government, and the new council has to meet within 14 days of the results being declared to elect a mayor. Reported's hung council explainer sets out how that works. The IEC expects to announce final results around 11 November.
Where can you check your own ward?
The official IEC results dashboard shows results by municipality and ward. All figures are provisional until the IEC declares them.
FAQ
Who is winning Msunduzi (Pietermaritzburg) in the 2026 local elections?
The DA leads with 47.2% ahead of the MK Party on 23.9%, but only about 10% of voting districts had been counted.
Who is leading in Richards Bay (uMhlathuze)?
With about a third of voting districts counted, the MK Party leads on 41.1% ahead of the IFP on 31.6%.
When will final results be announced?
The IEC expects to declare final results around 11 November 2026.