The IFP put in a dominant performance to retain a seat in rural northern KwaZulu-Natal, while the ANC gained an independent seat in Mkhondo, Mpumalanga, in the final round of by-elections for 2025.

KwaZulu-Natal

Ward 17 (Mningi Biliya) uMfolozi, King Cetshwayo: IFP 62% (51%) MK 21% ANC 16% (42%)

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The setting: Ward 17 is a rural, inland seat in uMfolozi. It includes the villages of Mningi, Biliya and Magwetshana. The ward sits beneath the Hlulhluwe-iMfolozi Park and is north of the town of Empangeni. The seat of uMfolozi is KwaMbonambi. It forms part of the King Cetshwayo District which includes the towns of Richards Bay and Eshowe.

The local government election: The IFP beat the ANC by 173 votes in a closely fought contest. The EFF finished a distant third with 4% of the vote.

The IFP won four of the seven voting districts while the ANC won the remaining three. Key to the IFP's victory was the 164-vote margin at Bhiliya Primary School district in the village of Biliya. The party also built an important 84-vote buffer at Maqwabe Primary School in Magwetshana.

The ANC won the most-populous district in the ward, the Mandlazini Primary School district in the village of Mningi. The difference between the ANC and the IFP was two votes. The ANC did best at the Mningi High School district where...