Richards Bay hung: MK 27 seats, needs 36 to govern
uMhlathuze (Richards Bay) is hung after a full count: the MK Party has 27 of 71 seats, nine short of a majority. Seat table, vote share and what happens next.
Provisional IEC figures show a hung council in uMhlathuze Local Municipality (Richards Bay and Empangeni, municipal code KZN282): the MK Party is the largest party with 27 of 71 seats, nine short of the 36 seats needed to govern alone (ESP uMhlathuze results from IEC data; Rateweb uMhlathuze results; The Outlier uMhlathuze; Wikipedia uMhlathuze seat table).
Treat seats as provisional until the IEC formally declares the council. ESP, Rateweb and The Outlier all show all 145 voting districts and all 36 wards complete as of Saturday 7 November 2026.
In 2021 the ANC was the largest party on a 67-seat council with 27 seats and no outright majority. The 2026 council is larger at 71 seats, and the MK Party has taken the lead (The Outlier uMhlathuze; Wikipedia uMhlathuze).
What is the uMhlathuze seat split?
| Party | Ward | PR | Total seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| MK Party | 23 | 4 | 27 |
| IFP | 6 | 12 | 18 |
| ANC | 2 | 10 | 12 |
| DA | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| ActionSA | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Freedom Front Plus | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| National Freedom Party | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| EFF | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Council size: 71 seats. Majority: 36. No party has it (ESP / Rateweb / The Outlier from IEC data).
How did the vote share look?
On the ward ballot, ESP puts the MK Party on 36.8% (41,807 of 113,517 valid ward votes). The IFP is second on 24.6%, the ANC third on 17.6% and the DA fourth on 11.7%.
Rateweb's combined ward-plus-PR totals put the MK Party on 37.9% (86,119 votes), the IFP on 24.5% (55,719), the ANC on 16.7% (37,917) and the DA on about 11.8% (Rateweb uMhlathuze; Wikipedia uMhlathuze).
ESP lists 23 wards for the MK Party, 6 for the IFP, 5 for the DA and 2 for the ANC. The Outlier's ward map shows a similar pattern, with MK ahead in most inland wards and the DA holding several Richards Bay wards (ESP uMhlathuze; The Outlier uMhlathuze).
Turnout on ESP's PR-ballot calculation is about 52.6% (about 114,717 of 218,080 registered voters). The IEC figure ESP cites is 52.8%.
What happens next in Richards Bay?
Because no party has 36 seats, parties will need a coalition or minority deal to elect a speaker and executive mayor. Under the Municipal Structures Act, the first meeting of a new council must be held within 14 days of the IEC declaring the results. Councillors elect the speaker first, then the mayor.
Possible paths to 36 include MK plus IFP (45), MK plus ANC (39), or IFP plus ANC plus DA (39). No deal has been confirmed in the sources above. The outgoing mayor was from the IFP, which governed with DA support after 2021 (Wikipedia uMhlathuze).
Rateweb's KwaZulu-Natal tracker lists uMhlathuze among dozens of fully counted hung councils in the province (Rateweb KZN results). Follow the IEC live results dashboard for the formal declaration, expected by about 11 November 2026.
FAQ
Is uMhlathuze (Richards Bay) hung after the 2026 election?
Yes. Provisional IEC figures show no party has 36 of the 71 seats. The MK Party has 27, nine short of a majority.
How many seats does the MK Party have in uMhlathuze?
27 seats (23 ward and 4 PR) on the 71-seat council, according to ESP, Rateweb and The Outlier from IEC data.
Who came second and third in Richards Bay?
The IFP has 18 seats and the ANC has 12. The DA has 9 seats.
When must the new uMhlathuze council meet?
Within 14 days of the IEC declaring the results, under the Municipal Structures Act. Councillors then elect a speaker and mayor.
Are these the final uMhlathuze results?
No. Seats are provisional until the IEC formally declares the council. All 145 voting districts are counted.