The Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality council was established in 2016,[1] and consists of sixty-eight members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Thirty-four councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in thirty-four wards, while the remaining thirty-four 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 1 November 2021 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of 44 seats.
The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ANC | DA | EFF | UDM | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 election | 50 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 68 |
| 2021 election | 44 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 68 |
See main article: 2016 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[2]
See main article: 2021 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[3]
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period from November 2021.[4]
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 April 2022 | 33 | ||||
| 30 November 2022 | 33 | ||||
| 23 August 2023[5] | 25 | ||||
A by-election was held in ward 33 on 20 April 2022 after the court ordered a rerun due to irregularities. Independent candidate Ntombekhaya Kortman, who had lost by 4 votes in 2021, won the rerun. Kortman died later that year after an illness, and in a by-election held on 30 November, the ANC regained the seat.[6]