The choices facing eThekwini’s next council

In a Daily News report published at 08:00 SAST on 11 November, ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal leader Zwakele Mncwango said his party’s meetings with the ANC and MK were exploratory, with no agreement reached. The eThekwini Ratepayers Political Movement’s executive said it had received invitations to coalition discussions but had made no firm decision.

MK’s KwaZulu-Natal electoral task-team convenor Willies Mchunu has identified reform of eThekwini’s administration as the party’s first priority for the city, including clearer systems and accountability. IOL reported his position on 9 November, alongside his call for infrastructure improvements and an environment that encourages investment.

ActionSA’s Zwakele Mncwango said its eThekwini negotiating framework sought services for every community, action against corruption and a plan on illegal migration. IOL reported that framework on 9 November.

eThekwini Ratepayers Political Movement (ERPM) chairperson Asad Gaffar told IOL the movement would question spending and demand measurable departmental performance, while cooperating across political divides without giving up its independence. The same report quoted eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association chairperson Ish Prahladh saying his association would hold ERPM accountable as a political party.

In the IFP’s wider negotiating process, SABC reported at 20:37 SAST on 10 November that it had received proposals from MK, ActionSA and the DA and approached the ANC. Spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said it would choose opposition if a stable arrangement proved impossible. The report did not identify a proposal specifically for eThekwini.

TPR’s provisional allocation, dated 10 November at 19:46 SAST, records MK with 86 seats, the DA 57, ANC 37, IFP 15, ActionSA seven and ERPM two. An MK-IFP pairing would hold 101 of the 223 seats, 11 short of an outright majority of 112. TPR has not verified a city-specific agreement among these parties.

The audit-committee section in eThekwini’s 2024/25 draft annual report, signed in December 2025, said some targets marked achieved lacked credible evidence and recorded slow progress on investigations and consequences for misconduct.

Internal audit reported 101% plan delivery and completion of all planned recommendation-monitoring activity. These figures describe the internal-audit unit’s activities. TPR has not established whether those shortcomings were later resolved; the final annual report remains uninspected.