Ndwedwe Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located in the southwestern region of the iLembe District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa.
Overview
| Type of municipality: | Local Municipality (Category B) |
| MIIF classification: | B4 (mostly rural) |
| Province: | KwaZulu-Natal |
| District: | iLembe |
| Municipal code: | KZN293 |
| Seat: | Ndwedwe |
| Number of wards: | 19 |
| Total area: | 1,093 km² (422 square miles) |
| Population: | 165,826 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Samuel Zwengithini Mfeka |
About
Ndwedwe Local Municipality is geographically located in the southwestern region of the iLembe District Municipality, lying parallel to, and approximately 20 kilometres inland from, the KwaZulu-Natal coast.
Ndwedwe Local Municipality covers an area of 1,093 km² (422 square miles), making it the largest of four local municipalities in the iLembe District, as it accounts for a third of its geographical area.
The administrative headquarters/seat of the Ndwedwe Local Municipality is in Ndwedwe, about 60 kilometres north of Durban.
The Ndwedwe Municipality is bordered by:
- Umvoti Local Municipality in the uMzinyathi District Municipality to the north
- Maphumulo Local Municipality to the north
- KwaDukuza Local Municipality to the east
- eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality to the south
- uMshwathi Local Municipality in the uMgungundlovu District Municipality to the west
Ndwedwe Local Municipality comprises 19 electoral wards and is mainly inhabited by poor black communities whose livelihoods depend on subsistence farming.
It is one of the poorest municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal, despite being located close to major urban and economic developments.
The Ndwedwe Municipality has remained substantially disadvantaged, underdeveloped, and poor.
External access and internal linkage are substantially limited to east-west roads, while north-south links are few and of poor quality.
The municipality is well known due to its attractions that carry so much of the area’s history. Some of these attractions are the Bambatha Rebellion Battlefield and the Nhlangakazi Mountain, which is located about 30 kilometres from Inanda.
The municipality is also the home of the world-renowned politician and anti-apartheid activist, Johnstone ‘Johnny’ Makhathini, who was born in the region. To honour him, the Ndwedwe Local Municipality built a civic centre, the John Makhathini Civic Center, which the community has access to.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, the Ndwedwe Local Municipality has a population of 165,826 people, compared to 143,117 in 2016 and 140,820 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 1.59%.
According to the 2022 Census, 31.6% of the population is under the age of 15, 61.7% is between 15 and 64, and 6.7% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 98.4% of the population in the Ndwedwe Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 0.7% as Indian/Asian, 0.3% as White, and 0.2% as Coloured.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 92% of the population speaks isiZulu as their first language, 2% speak English, 1.9% speak isiXhosa, 1.5% speak isiNdebele, and 2.6% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of the Ndwedwe Local Municipality are tourism, agriculture, and services.
Municipal council and management
The Ndwedwe municipal council is comprised of 37 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Nineteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 19 wards, while the remaining 18 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 reduced majority of 19 seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 19 – IFP: 11 – EFF: 4 – AFR: 1 – AIC: 1 – DA: 1 |
| Controlling party | ANC |
| Executive Mayor | Samuel Zwengithini Mfeka |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | Zandile Thoolsi |
| Speaker | Khonzuyise Goodman Ngidi |
| Chief Whip | n/a |
| Other Council Members | – M.P Busani (Exco) Khonza Ngidi – R.T Nkwanyana (Exco) – P.S Shezi (Exco) – S.B Sibisi (Exco) – Z.S Thoolsi (Exco) |
| Municipal Manager | Disco Sethenjwa Goodman Khuzwayo |
| Chief Financial Officer | Xolani Hlekwane Mr Thulasizwe Monde Nkosi |
| Senior Management | – Xolani Hlekwane (Manager: Finance) – Z Khuluse (Acting Manager: Economic Development Planning Services) – L Mathu (Acting Manager: Corporate Services ) – P Mbonambi (Acting Manager: Community and Social Services) – M Mzolo (Manager: Technical Infrastructure Services) – Dr Mbuyiseni Ntuli (Director: Corporate Services) |
| Communications Officers | Thobile Nxumalo |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in the Ndwedwe Local Municipality.
- Glendale Heights
- Ndwedwe
- Ozwathini
Contact details
The contact details of the Ndwedwe Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | Private Bag X503, Ndwedwe, 4342 |
| Physical Address: | P100 Road, Ndwedwe |
| Telephone: | 032 532 5000 |
| Fax: | 032 532 5032 |
| Email: | mm@ndwedwe.gov.za |
| Website: | www.ndwedwe.gov.za |
