The Abaqulusi Local Municipality council within the South African Zululand District Municipality consists of forty-four members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Twenty-two councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in twenty-two wards, while the remaining twenty-two are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received.
In the election of 3 August 2016 no party obtained a majority. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) formed a government with the support of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).[1] [2]
In the election of 1 November 2021 again no party obtained a majority, with the IFP obtaining a plurality of twenty-one seats.
The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ANC | DA | EFF | IFP | NFP | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 election | 7 | 5 | - | 27 | - | 0 | 39 |
| 2006 election | 10 | 4 | - | 22 | - | 3 | 39 |
| 2011 election | 17 | 3 | - | 16 | 7 | 1 | 44 |
| 2016 election | 21 | 3 | 1 | 19 | - | 0 | 44 |
| 2021 election | 14 | 2 | 3 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 45 |
See main article: 2000 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2000 election.[3]
See main article: 2006 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2006 election.[4]
See main article: 2011 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.[5]
See main article: 2016 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[6]
In a by election held in March 2019 the ANC won a ward previously held by the IFP, reconstituting the council as follows:
| Party | Ward | PR list | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 10 | 22 | |||
| 8 | 10 | 18 | |||
| 2 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Total | 22 | 22 | 44 | ||
See main article: 2021 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[7]
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period from November 2021.[8]
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 November 2022 | 13 | ||||
| 5 April 2023[9] | 12 | ||||
| 7 February 2024[10] | 8 | ||||
After the death of the previous IFP councillor in a car accident, a by-election was held on 30 November. The IFP candidate improved the party's showing, increasing their vote share from 34% to 59%.[11]
After the resignation of the ward 8 councillor, the resulting by-election saw the first electoral contest by the uMkhonto we Sizwe, which finished third, with 19%, behind the African National Congress (ANC) on 31%. The IFP retained the seat with 47%.