The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has won the highly contested by-elections in three of six wards in the Umzumbe Municipality, near Port Shepstone on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.
After the by-elections, the previously African National Congress (ANC) controlled municipality is now a hung council, with the ANC and IFP both holding 17 seats.
The by-elections were held after the expulsion of one councillor, and the resignation of a further five ANC councillors.
All of them joined the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party.
While the MK Party contested all six by-elections, it only managed to win one ward.
In by-elections in other KwaZulu-Natal municipalities, the IFP took a ward from the Abanto Bathu Congress in the Umvoti municipality, and it took a ward from the ANC at Mthonjaneni.
In Newcastle, the Democratic Alliance (DA) won a ward from the ANC, and in Umzimkhulu the ANC retained its ward.
