Politics: South Africa
Eight KwaZulu-Natal councils with outright winners may now elect their mayors, while the province’s hung councils, where no party has a majority, must wait until the week of 23 November.
Eight councils in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, each described as having an outright winner, can now hold their first meetings and elect mayors, but the province’s hung councils must wait. The provincial Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, known as Cogta, issued the directive on Wednesday 11 November 2026, three days after the Electoral Commission of South Africa declared the local election results.
KwaZulu-Natal is home to Durban, a major port, so who runs its councils matters to shippers and investors well beyond South Africa. A hung council is one where no party holds more than half the seats, so rivals must agree a coalition before anyone can be elected mayor.
Key Facts
—Who. The provincial local government department, Cogta, cleared eight KwaZulu-Natal councils to meet.
—When. First sittings run from 13 to 20 November 2026; hung councils move to the week of 23 November.
—Why. Cogta treats each of the eight as having an outright winner, so no coalition deal is needed first.
—Vote. South Africans voted on 4 November 2026; the electoral commission declared results on 8 November.
—Open. We found no official count of KwaZulu-Natal’s hung councils; published counts differ.
Which Councils Can Start
Cogta named uMngeni, Impendle, Ulundi, Nongoma, Msinga, Mthonjaneni, Nkandla and Greater Kokstad as the councils with outright winners. At their first sittings, councillors elect a speaker, a mayor and a deputy mayor.
Impendle and Mthonjaneni, the last two on the list, meet on Friday 20 November. None of the eight is a metropolitan council.
First sittings set by Cogta
- uMngeni: Friday 13 November
- Nongoma and Ulundi: Tuesday 17 November
- Msinga: Wednesday 18 November
- Greater Kokstad and Nkandla: Thursday 19 November
- Mthonjaneni and Impendle: Friday 20 November
Why Hung Councils Must Wait
Cogta moved the first meetings of hung councils, which had been planned for the following week, to the week beginning Monday 23 November. The aim is to give parties more time to negotiate coalitions.
Coverage of the circular places eThekwini, the metro that includes Durban, among the councils that wait. Until then, those councils stay without a newly elected speaker or mayor.
What It Means for Readers Abroad
A council without a newly elected speaker and mayor may be slower to start new work on services such as water, electricity and roads. For companies that use the Durban port, the question is whether the next coalition in the metro keeps that work steady.
The eight early councils are mostly smaller local municipalities, so the real test of coalition politics in the province comes later. Our earlier reports on the election run-up are on the South Africa news page, including a police probe into a ballot theft and the 331 high-risk voting stations flagged before the vote.
What Is Not Known
We have not seen the Cogta circular itself, so the council list and dates are as relayed in coverage on 12 November. We also could not confirm which legal deadline applies to first council meetings or how it fits the week of 23 November.
The list of eight may not be final, and published counts of hung councils differ, while no coalition deal in the province has been confirmed to us. The next checkpoints are Friday 13 November, when uMngeni is due to sit first, and the week of 23 November, when the hung councils follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did South Africa hold its 2026 local elections?
Voting took place on Wednesday 4 November 2026. The electoral commission’s chairperson declared the results on Sunday 8 November.
Which KwaZulu-Natal councils can meet first?
Cogta cleared uMngeni, Impendle, Ulundi, Nongoma, Msinga, Mthonjaneni, Nkandla and Greater Kokstad. Their first sittings run from 13 to 20 November 2026.
What is a hung council?
It is a council where no party holds more than half the seats. Parties must form a coalition to elect a mayor and speaker.
When will hung councils in KwaZulu-Natal meet?
Cogta moved their first meetings to the week beginning 23 November 2026. The aim is to allow more coalition talks.
Sources: Electoral Commission of South Africa, declaration of the 2026 local government election results, 8 November 2026 (gov.za); KwaZulu-Natal Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, directive of 11 November 2026, as relayed in news coverage of 12 November (the circular itself was not available to us).
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