The Mthonjaneni Local Municipality council consists of twenty-five members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Thirteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in thirteen wards, while the remaining twelve are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received.
[1] In the election of 3 August 2016 the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) won a majority of fourteen seats on the council.
The party lost its majority in the election of 1 November 2021, obtaining a plurality of twelve seats.
After the August 2022 by-election, the IFP gained an outright majority by winning a ward from the ANC.