The Inkatha Freedom Party has won all the wards in both Ulundi and Nongoma on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast.
It scored these victories even though the ANC was supported by the National Freedom Party, celebrating a clean sweep of all 24 wards in Ulundi in the 2016 local government elections.
This after it was dubbed a party in decline when it lost control of the province in 2004.
Despite the breakaway of a group of supporters to form the rival NFP, the IFP has been making a comeback, winning several by-elections.
When the NFP was disqualified from participating in the poll due to the non-payment of IEC fees, it threw its weight behind the ANC.
But that was not enough to stop a landslide IFP victory.
The party puts this down to clean governance in Ulundi.
"Throughout the period that we have been in government we have been getting clean audits because we value people's money and we take it back to the people in service delivery," said Joanne Manana, Former Ulundi Mayor.
The IFP youth brigade said it played a key role in the victory.
"The other political parties were claiming that the IFP is for the older people, so now as you can see here, the youth is taking power, you can hear even the sound, the glory is the youth," says a member of the youth.
" The youth that had gone is back and we have assisted in campaigning and then we have done everything in our power to make sure that we regain the victory."
The IFP said it was waiting on three remaining municipalities before it called the entire Zululand its stronghold.
eNCA
