The Endumeni Local Municipality is a Category B municipality situated in the northwestern region of the uMzinyathi District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B3 (small towns) |
| Province: | KwaZulu-Natal |
| District: | uMzinyathi |
| Municipal code: | KZN241 |
| Seat: | Dundee |
| Number of wards: | 7 |
| Total area: | 1,610 km² (622 square miles) |
| Population: | 100,085 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Mcebo Mkhize |
About
Endumeni Local Municipality was created/established on 5th December 2000, as a result of Governments institutional restructuring of the Local Government system.
Endumeni is an isiZulu word meaning “a place of thunderstorm”. The municipality shares its name with the Endumeni hill.
The Endumeni Local Municipality is geographically located in the northwestern region of the uMzinyathi District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, approximately 290 kilometres northwest of Durban and 362 kilometres southeast of Johannesburg.
The municipality has well-established rail, road, and air infrastructure making the Endumeni region the geographic centre of northern KwaZulu-Natal.
The Endumeni Local Municipality comprises 7 electoral wards and covers an area of 1,610 km² (622 square miles), making it the smallest local municipality in the uMzinyathi District.
The Endumeni Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Nquthu Local Municipality to the east
- uMsinga Local Municipality to the south
- Alfred Duma Local Municipality in the uThukela District Municipality to the south and west
- Dannhauser Local Municipality in the Amajuba District Municipality to the west
- eMadlangeni Local Municipality in the Amajuba District Municipality to the north
The administrative headquarters/municipal offices of Endumeni Local Municipality are in the town of Dundee.
Dundee is the service centre for the abundant northern KwaZulu-Natal, a town of learning as well as the geographical and administrative heart of northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Regional offices of several state and provincial departments are established in the municipality and Endumeni schools are famous for their high standard of education.
At the base of the Indumeni Mountain – an inactive volcano, the highest peak in the Biggarsberg range of mountains is Wasbank, a small town that time appears to have passed by.
Endumeni Local Municipality is home to a population that is predominantly urban, with only approximately 17% living in non-urban areas.
The municipality’s two major towns of Glencoe, and Dundee, as well as Wasbank are home to majority of the urban population of the Endumeni Municipality
Glencoe and Dundee have well-established and serviced areas for light-to-medium industry. These towns have a good, consistent supply of water, with a pipeline and six dams from the Buffalo River (uMzinyathi) feeding the area.
A big, well-equipped provincial hospital serves for the entire district.
Being situated in the heart of the KwaZulu-Natal battlefields, Endumeni is a dynamic, developmentally focused municipality working in partnership with all its people for the promotion of the sustainable, harmonious and balanced development of its rural and urban communities.
With its variety of infrastructure, service facilities, and a stable labour supply, Endumeni Local Municipality provides every opportunity to the businessman, investor, and industrialist, as well as the tourist.
The Endumeni Municipality also presents ideal opportunities for entrepreneurs requiring a distribution depot.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, the Endumeni Local Municipality has a population of 100,085 people, compared to 76,639 in 2016, and 64,862 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 4.21%.
According to the 2022 Census, 26.8% of the population is under the age of 15, 67.1% is between 15 and 64, and 6.1% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 83.9% of the population in the Endumeni Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 7.2% as White, 5.9% as Indian/Asian, and 2.6% as Coloured.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 79.1% of the population speaks isiZulu as their first language, 12.2% speak English, 5.3% speak Afrikaans, and 3.4% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of the Endumeni Local Municipality are farming, mining, social services, manufacturing, trade, transport, business services, private household/domestic workers, construction, and utilities.
Municipal council and management
The Endumeni municipal council is comprised of 13 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Seven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 7 wards, while the remaining 6 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) lost its majority, with both it and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) winning 5 seats.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 5 – IFP: 5 – DA: 2 – ABC: 1 |
| Controlling party | Hung Council |
| Executive Mayor | Mcebo Mkhize |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | M Nkosi |
| Speaker | A.M Nsibande |
| Chief Whip | n/a |
| Other Council Members | – N.M Gopie – X.M Msezane – F.N Mthethwa – M.T Ngcobo – S.M Phakathi – A.Z Sadeck – L.B Zulu |
| Municipal Manager | S Ntombela |
| Chief Financial Officer | Absalom Ngcobo |
| Senior Management | – Bonginkosi Hlatshwayo (Executive Manager: Planning and Economic Development) – Simphiwe Ndebele (Executive Manager: Technical Services) – Thulani Ndlovu (Manager: LED) – Bongani Xulu (Head of Department: Community Services) – Sakhele Zulu (Executive Manager: Corporate Services) |
| Communications Officers | P.G Mabiisa |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in the Endumeni Local Municipality.
- Dundee
- Glencoe
- Talana
- Wasbank
Contact details
The contact details of the Endumeni Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | Private Bag X2024, Dundee, 3000 |
| Physical Address: | Civic Centre, 64 Victoria Street, Dundee, 3000 |
| Telephone: | – 034 212 2121 (Dundee Office) – 034 393 1121 (Glencoe Office) |
| Fax: | 034 212 3856 |
| Email: | – registry@endumeni.gov.za – communications@endumeni.gov.za |
| Website: | www.endumeni.gov.za |
