The Phumelela Local Municipality council consists of sixteen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Eight councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in eight wards, while the remaining eight 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 3 August 2016 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of twelve seats on the council.
In the 2021 South African municipal elections the ANC won a reduced majority of eleven seats on the council.
The following table shows the composition of the council after past elections.