The Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality is a Category B municipality situated in the southeastern region of the uThukela 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: | uThukela |
| Municipal code: | KZN237 |
| Seat: | Estcourt |
| Number of wards: | 24 |
| Total area: | 3,399 km² (1,312 square miles) |
| Population: | 230,924 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Mduduzi Tholumuzi Myeza |
About
The Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality was established by the amalgamation of uMtshezi and Imbabazane Local Municipalities in August 2016
The Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality is geographically located in the southeastern region of the uThukela District Municipality.
The Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality covers an area of 3,399 km² (1,312 square miles), making it the smallest of three local municipalities in the uThukela District, but it accounts for a third of its geographical area.
The municipality comprises 24 electoral wards.
The Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Alfred Duma Local Municipality to the north
- Okhahlamba Local Municipality to the west
- The country of Lesotho to the southwest
- Impendle and Mpofana Local Municipalities in the uMgungundlovu District Municipality to the south
- uMsinga Local Municipality in the uMzinyathi District Municipality to the east
The administrative headquarters/seat of the Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality is in the town of Estcourt.
Estcourt is the second-largest commercial centre in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands region, after Pietermaritzburg, the region’s economic powerhouse.
Another town in the municipal area is Weenen, a small agricultural town that is starting to emerge as a tourist destination.
The Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality is traversed by the N3 National Road which links it to Johannesburg in Gauteng Province (South Africa economic and commercial hub) and Durban (the provincial economic powerhouse).
The majority of Inkosi Langalibalele’s population is concentrated in urban and farming areas, but there exists are a few patches of high-density settlements within the informal areas.
The Inkosi Langalibalele Municipality boasts well-established commercial, residential, and industrial, areas, as well as rich agricultural farmlands.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, the Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality has a population of 230,924 people, compared to 215,182 in 2016, and 196,227 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 1.58%.
According to the 2022 Census, 30.5% of the population is under the age of 15, 63.6% is between 15 and 64, and 6% is over 65.
Economy
The main economic sectors of the Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality are tourism, agriculture, industry, manufacturing, and services.
Municipal council and management
The Inkosi Langalibalele municipal council is comprised of 47 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Twenty-four councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 24 wards, while the remaining 23 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 Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) obtained a plurality of 21 seats.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – IFP: 21 – ANC: 17 – DA: 3 – NFP: 3 – EFF: 2 – INDEPENDENT: 1 |
| Controlling party | Hung Council |
| Executive Mayor | Mduduzi Tholumuzi Myeza |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | Nhlanhla Sithabiso Dladla |
| Speaker | Sphiwayinkosi Welfare Khumalo |
| Chief Whip | Mbuzeleni Cyril Mkhize |
| Other Council Members | – N.S Dladla (Exco) – H.S Hadebe (Exco Member) – E Lite (Exco) – M.W Mbatha (Exco) – S.T Mchunu (Exco) vG.T Mnikathi (Exco) – M.T Myeza (Chairperson of Exco) – M.M Nkala (Exco Member) – Z.P Sikhosana (Exco) |
| Administrator | N James |
| Municipal Manager | S.B Mthembu |
| Chief Financial Officer | Sibusiso Radebe |
| Senior Management | – H.B Chotoo (General Manager: Corporate Services) – Belinda Davies (IDP Manager) – K Goba (Manager: Tourism) – Senelisiwe Manyoni (Manager: Office of The Mayor) – Z.M Mnyandu (General Manager: Community Services) – B Msimango (Manager: Town Planning) – Khaya Ngoba (LED Manager) – F Shaik (Manager: Housing) – N Shezi (General Manager: Public Works and Basic Services) – S Sikhakhane (Manager: LED) |
| Communications Officers | Zodwa Ngubeni (Acting: Communication Manager) |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in the Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality.
- Cornfields
- Estcourt
- Frere
- Goodhome
- Weenen
- Wembezi
Contact details
The contact details of the Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | P.O. Box 15, Estcourt, 3310 |
| Physical Address: | Civic Building, 1 Victoria Street, Estcourt, 3310 |
| Telephone: | 036 342 7800 |
| Fax: | 036 352 5829 |
| Website: | www.ilm.gov.za |
