The Newcastle Local Municipality council consists of sixty-seven 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-three 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) lost its majority, winning a plurality of 22 seats. As of July 2024, the party has since lost five seats in by-elections, dropping to 17 seats, with the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) earning a plurality of 23 seats.
The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.
| Event | ACDP | ANC | DA | EFF | FF+ | IFP | NFP | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 election | 1 | 20 | 11 | - | - | 27 | - | 2 | 61 |
| 2006 election | 1 | 27 | 6 | - | 1 | 20 | - | 6 | 61 |
| 2011 election | 0 | 33 | 5 | - | 0 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 61 |
| 2016 election | 0 | 41 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 11 | - | 3 | 67 |
| 2021 election | - | 22 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 12 | 67 |
See main article: 2000 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2000 election.[1]
See main article: 2006 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2006 election.[2]
See main article: 2011 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2011 election.[3]
See main article: 2016 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2016 election.[4]
In a by-election held on 5 April 2017, a ward previously held by the ANC was won by an independent candidate.[5] Council composition was reconfigured as seen below:
| Party | Ward | PR list | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 9 | 40 | |||
| 0 | 11 | 11 | |||
| 2 | 4 | 6 | |||
| 0 | 5 | 5 | |||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 1 | – | 1 | |||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Total | 34 | 33 | 67 | ||
See main article: 2021 South African municipal elections.
The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[6]
The IFP took control of the municipality by entering into agreement with the DA, Team Sugar and other parties.[7] [8]
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period since the election in November 2021.[9]
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 February 2023[10] | 31 | ||||
| 14 February 2024[11] | 11 | ||||
| 13 March 2024[12] | 12 | ||||
| 13 March 2024 | 19 | ||||
| 13 March 2024 | 23 | ||||
| 19 June 2024[13] | 5 | ||||
| 17 July 2024[14] | 28 | ||||
After the three March by-elections, and the February by-election, the IFP had won four seats from the ANC, leaving them as the largest party, while in June 2024 the DA won a seat off the ANC. The following shows the composition of the council after the July 2024 by-election:
| Party | Ward | List | Total | |
| 11 | 12 | 23 | ||
| 16 | 1 | 17 | ||
| 0 | 8 | 8 | ||
| 1 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 5 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Total | 34 | 33 | 67 |