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, obtaining a plurality of twenty-two seats.

A coalition was formed between the IFP, Team Sugar, DA, ActionSA and the FF+ to keep the ANC out.

The IFP as the largest party in the coalition took the position of Mayor (Xolani Dube) and Speaker of council (Thengi Zulu), while Team Sugar took the deputy mayor position (Musa Thwala), ActionSA the Chief whip position (Faizel Cassim) and the DA were given MPAC (Municipal Public Accounts Committee).

[5] After a series of by-elections, the composition of the municipal council as of 18 July 2024 is as follows: IFP 23, ANC 17, EFF 8, Team Sugar 6, DA 6, Action SA 3, FF+ 1, NFP 1, PA 1, ATM 1.