The IFP has retained control of the Nkandla Municipality

It's one of the municipalities the ANC has been eyeing, particularly because it's where ANC President Jacob Zuma's homestead is situated.

This morning, the party's deputy Secretary-General Jesse Duarte said they were confident Nkandla would be returned to the ANC today.

At the weekend, the IFP held the first day of its final election rally in Nkandla with party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi telling supporters that they know the kind of competition they face in the area and that their opponents were desperate to take Nkandla away from the IFP. 

Buthelezi said he also "knew the strength of the partnership between the IFP and Nkandla". 

Meanwhile UKZN-based political analyst Imraan Buccus says it's not surprising that the IFP is gaining back lost ground in the Zululand District.

Election figures show that the IFP stands to retake municipalities it previously lost.

Buccus says since 1994 - the IFP had been on a downward trajectory - but has seen a recent increase in support. 

He attributes this to regrouping and mobilisation by the party. 

He says while many would have thought that recent developments with the NFP would lead voters to the ANC - it's important to note that NFP members are historical IFP members.

"Many of them bear the scars of the civil war in the 90's, and many of them would have probably lost family members in that civil war with the ANC. So my sense is that they would have kept that vote in the IFP, despite the recent bad blood between the two parties. So I think the IFP would have benefited significantly from the fractures in the NFP."