Emalahleni Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the western region of the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa and is part of the Nkangala District Municipality.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B1 (secondary city) |
| Province: | Mpumalanga |
| District: | Nkangala |
| Municipal code: | MP312 |
| Seat: | eMalahleni |
| Number of wards: | 34 |
| Total area: | 2,678 km² (1,034 square miles) |
| Population: | 434,238 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Vusi Julius Nhlapho |
About
Emalahleni Local Municipality is geographically located in the western region of Mpumalanga Province.
eMalahleni is a Nguni word meaning “place of coal”.
Emalahleni Local Municipality covers an area of 2,678 km² (1,034 square miles) making it the third-largest local municipality in the Nkangala District.
The administrative headquarters/seat of Emalahleni Local Municipality is in eMalahleni (previously Witbank).
The municipality is divided into 34 wards.
Emalahleni Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Steve Tshwete Local Municipality to the east
- Thembisile Hani Local Municipality to the north
- The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng Province to the northwest
- Victor Khanye Local Municipality to the west
- Govan Mbeki Local Municipality in the Gert Sibande District to the southwest, south, and southeast
The Emalahleni Local Municipality consists of the towns of eMalahleni, Kwa-Guqa, Ga-Nala, and Ogies.
The municipality’s main town, eMalahleni, was established in 1903 and named after a ridge of white rock located near the present railway station. In the early years, this ridge was a halting place for transporting wagons and a trading post. eMalahleni has a large collection of heritage assets, which are currently under threat from rapid development.
Emalahleni is most likely the most industrialised local municipality in the Nkangala District and its landscape features mainly underground and opencast coal mines. This area has the largest concentration of power stations in the country.
The municipality’s mining and industrial history is reflected in the area’s heritage places. This includes elements of industrial history, military history, architectural/engineering, and graves which should be protected and conserved.
Emalahleni Local Municipality is strategically located within the Mpumalanga provincial context and it serves the function of a gateway municipality and town into the province for eight of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its proximity to the Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipalities, which jointly constitute the largest economy in the country serve the municipality favourably.
The road infrastructure connecting Emalahleni to the rest of the country is also very well maintained and serviced by logistics freight activities such that the significance of the municipality in the Industrial Development and Transportation strategies of the country is recognised.
Connecting the municipality to the rest of South Africa as mentioned above is the significant road infrastructure consisting of the N4 and N12 freeways.
The N4 and the N12 converge at eMalahleni town, the N12 starts at eMalahleni and then the N4 proceeds to Mbombela (previously Nelspruit), the provincial capital, and ultimately Maputo in Mozambique.
Running parallel to the N4 is a rail line that connects Gauteng through eMalahleni to Maputo. This significant rail and road infrastructure has been identified as part a Southern African initiative to connect Walvis Bay (on the west coast of Africa) and Maputo (on the east coast of Africa) called the Maputo Corridor.
These significant transportation and freight linkages are critical to ensure improved trade between Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Mozambique. The roads to the south of the municipality and rail connections connect eMalahleni to Richards bay and Maputo Harbour, this provides significant logistic opportunities for the coal that needs to be exported through the harbours.
The southern areas of the Emalahleni Municipality form part of the region referred to as the Energy Mecca of South Africa, due to its rich deposits of coal reserves and power stations such as Kendal, Matla, Duvha and Ga-Nala, while the new Kusile power station is located a few kilometres to the east of Phola.
Emalahleni Local Municipality as with all other municipalities in South Africa continues to be with the deep spatial challenges of the past where communities continue to live separately from each other. Although strides have been made to bring the poor communities closer to the centres of economic activities, land availability continues to cripple the programme.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, Emalahleni Local Municipality has a population of 434,238 people, compared to 455,228 in 2016, and 395,466 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 0.91%.
According to the 2022 Census, 25.4% of the population is under the age of 15, 70.3% is between 15 and 64, and 4.3% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 81.3% of the population in Emalahleni Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 15.7% as White, 1.9% as Coloured, and 0.9% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 38.6% of the population speaks isiZulu as their first language, 14.9% speak Afrikaans, 11.3% speak Sepedi, 8.9% speak isiNdebele, 5.8% speak siSwati, 5.6% speak English, 3.5% speak Xitsonga, 3.2% speak Sesotho, 3.1% speak isiXhosa, and 4% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of Emalahleni Local Municipality are mining, power generation, steel, vanadium, and chrome.
Municipal council and management
The municipality is under S139 administration, effective from October 2018.
The Emalahleni municipal council is comprised of 68 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Thirty-four councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 34 wards, while the remaining 34 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 1 November 2021, the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of thirty-five seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 35 – EFF: 14 – DA: 13 – VF PLUS: 4 – ACDP: 1 – AIC: 1 |
| Controlling party | ANC |
| Executive Mayor | Vusi Julius Nhlapho |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | n/a |
| Speaker | Mduduzi Sfiso Nkosi |
| Chief Whip | Qondi Maseko |
| Other Council Members | – J Djiana (MMC: Development Planning) – Martha Busi Hlumbane (MMC: Technical Services) – KB Maphosa (MMC: Community Services) – Cecilia Maraba (Chairperson: Municipal Public Accounts Committee) – Nombuso Mokwana (MMC: Environment and Waste Management) – Hessie Mseko (MMC: Corporate Services) – Faith Msibi (MMC: Finance) |
| Municipal Manager | Humphrey Sizwe Mayisela |
| Chief Financial Officer | KS Mahlangu |
| Senior Management | – L Africa (Deputy Chief Financial Officer) – C Brentjies (Acting Executive Director: Technical Services) – T Buthelezi (Executive Director: Development Planning) – Tefo Kadi (Manager: LED) – Kgaogelo Kubyana (Acting Executive Director: Corporate Services) – N Makua (Acting Executive Director: Environmental and Waste Management) – Selati Matlejoane (Executive Director: Community Services) – M Mngomezulu (Deputy Director: Strategic and Executive Support) – Nomawabo Mtshabe (Manager: IDP) – Rudolph Themba Nkosi (Assistant Manager: Youth Development) |
| Communications Officers | Lebohang Mofokeng (Assistant Manager: Communication) |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in Emalahleni Local Municipality.
- eMalahleni (formerly Witbank)
- Kriel
- Ogies
- Phola
- Ga-Nala (Kriel)
- Thubelihle
- Rietspruit
- Van Dyksdrift
- Wilge
Contact details
The contact details of Emalahleni Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | PO Box 3, eMalahleni, 1035 |
| Physical Address: | Civic Centre, Mandela Street, eMalahleni |
| Telephone: | 013 690 6911 |
| Fax: | 013 690 6207 |
| Email: | callcentre@emalahleni.gov.za |
| Website: | www.emalahleni.gov.za |
