The uMuziwabantu Local Municipality is a Category B municipality situated in the western region of the Ugu 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: | Ugu |
| Municipal code: | KZN214 |
| Seat: | Harding |
| Number of wards: | 11 |
| Total area: | 1,089 km² (420 square miles) |
| Population: | 115,780 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Siboniso Zungu |
About
The uMuziwabantu Local Municipality was established in terms of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996), the Municipality Demarcation Act (1998), and Section 12 of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act (1998).
The name uMuziwabantu is an isiZulu word meaning “the people’s home”, or “a home with wide open doors where everyone is welcome”.
The uMuziwabantu Local Municipality is geographically located in the western region of the Ugu District Municipality at the foot of the Ingeli Mountain Range.
The uMuziwabantu Local Municipality comprises 11 electoral wards and covers an area of 1,089 km² (420 square miles), making it the second-smallest of four local municipalities in the Ugu District.
The uMuziwabantu Local Municipality is bordered by:
- Ray Nkonyeni and Umzumbe Local Municipalities to the east
- uMzimkhulu Local Municipality in the Harry Gwala District Municipality to the north
- Greater Kokstad Local Municipality in the Harry Gwala District Municipality to the west
- Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality in the Alfred Nzo District Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province to the south
The uMuziwabantu Local Municipality is also bordered by the Mtamvuna River, which marks its southern boundary.
The uMuziwabantu Municipality consists of a largely rural area, an urban development (the town of Harding), commercially-grown forests, farmland, and traditional authority areas.
Apart from the town of Harding, which is the administrative seat of the municipality, about 56% of the municipal area is occupied by individually-owned commercial farms and the Weza afforestation region.
The six tribal authority areas (KwaJala, Dumisa, KwaMachi, KwaMbotho, Bashweni, and KwaFodo) make up about 42% of the municipality’s land.
The administrative headquarters/seat of the uMuziwabantu Local Municipality is in Harding.
The uMuziwabantu Local Municipality is located along the N2 National Route, 58 kilometres from Kokstad and 80 kilometres from Port Shepstone. Connected to the N2 is R56 Provincial Route, which passes through Umzimkhulu, Ixopo, and ultimately Pietermaritzburg.
The main source of income in the uMuziwabantu Municipality is the extensive wattle, gum, pine, and poplar plantations, and associated industries, including saw mills and furniture-making factories.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, the uMuziwabantu Local Municipality has a population of 115,780 people, compared to 108,576 in 2016 and 96,556 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 1.76%.
According to the 2022 Census, 36.4% of the population is under the age of 15, 57.9% is between 15 and 64, and 5.6% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 97.9% of the population in the uMuziwabantu Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 1.1% as Coloured, 0.5% as White, and 0.4% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 88.2% of the population speaks isiZulu as their first language, 4.9% speak isiXhosa, 2.9% speak English, 1.3% speak isiNdebele, and 2.7% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of the uMuziwabantu Local Municipality are agriculture, manufacturing, and timber.
Municipal council and management
The uMuziwabantu municipal council is comprised of 21 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Eleven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 11 wards, while the remaining 10 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 minority of 10 seats on the council.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – ANC: 10 – IFP: 5 – EFF: 2 – ALJAM-AH: 2 – ABC: 1 – DA: 1 |
| Controlling party | Hung Council |
| Executive Mayor | Siboniso Zungu |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | N.P Luthuli |
| Speaker | P.N Shebi |
| Chief Whip | G.M Cele |
| Other Council Members | – S.S Maphumulo (Chairperson: MPAC) – S Mzindle (Exco Member) – M.V Vezi (Exco Member) |
| Municipal Manager | TP Cele |
| Chief Financial Officer | Hlanzeka Mchunu |
| Senior Management | – Adv R Brijraj (Director: Community Services) – N Madlala (Acting Director: Technical Services) |
| Communications Officers | – S.B Jabulani (Manager: Mayoralty and Communications) – Nkosikhona Zwane |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in the uMuziwabantu Local Municipality.
- Harding
- Weza
Contact details
The contact details of the uMuziwabantu Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | Private Bag X1023, Harding, 4680 |
| Physical Address: | 10 Murchison Street, Harding, 4680 |
| Telephone: | 039 433 3500 |
| Fax: | 039 433 1208 |
| Website: | www.umuziwabantu.gov.za |
