The uMzinyathi District Municipality is a Category C municipality located in the central and northern regions of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.
uMzinyathi District Municipality
| Type of municipality: | District (Category C) |
| Province: | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Municipal code: | DC24 |
| Seat: | Dundee |
| Local municipalities: | 4 |
| Total area: | 8,652 km² (3,341 square miles) |
| Population: | 649,261 (in 2022) |
| Executive mayor: | Petros Mthandeni Ngubane |
About
The uMzinyathi District Municipality is geographically situated in the central and north and central regions of KwaZulu-Natal. Its headquarters/seat is in Dundee.
The district covers an area of 8,652 km² (3,341 square miles) and lies between the main N3 Corridor between Durban and Gauteng and the Coastal Corridor, running along the east coast.
The district is divided into four local municipalities namely;
- Endumeni Local Municipality
- Nquthu Local Municipality
- uMsinga Local Municipality
- Umvoti Local Municipality
The uMzinyathi District Municipality is bordered by the District Municipalities, uThukela to the west, uMgungundlovu to the south, iLembe to the southeast, King Cetshwayo to the east, Zululand to the northeast, and Amajuba to the north.
The district is characterised by extensive variation with rolling grasslands, extensive wetlands, deep river gorges, hills, and valley bushveld, all of which make the development of infrastructure difficult and costly particularly in the steep terrain.
The uMzinyathi District includes some of the poorest and most underdeveloped rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal with the majority of the population living in absolute poverty, most notably the Nquthu and Msinga local municipalities.
HIV/AIDS is the leading illness and cause of death in the district.
The majority of the households in the district are headed by women and children.
The more developed urban areas include Dundee and Greytown which can be viewed as strong regional centres with substantial commercial and agricultural activity.
Map
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, the uMzinyathi District Municipality has a population of 649,261 residents, compared to 554,882 in 2016, and 514,028 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 2.27%.
According to the 2022 Census, 34.7% of the population is under the age of 15, 59.3% is between 15 and 64, and 6.0% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 96.6% of the population in the uMzinyathi District Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 1.4% as White, 1.3% as Indian/Asian, and 0.5% as Coloured.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 91% of the population speaks isiZulu as their first language, 3.1% speak English, 2.3% speak Sesotho, 1.0% speak Afrikaans, and 2.6% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic drivers in the district are; community, social, and personal services (32.0%), agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing (22.6%), finance (17.3%), wholesale and retail trade (15.9%), and transport at 9.4%.
District council and management
The municipality is under S139 administration, effective from October 2016.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | – IFP: 6 – ANC: 4 – ABC: 1 – DA: 1 |
| Executive Mayor | Petros Mthandeni Ngubane |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | TH Mchunu |
| Speaker | TL Kunene |
| Chief Whip | n/a |
| Other Council Members | n/a |
| Municipal Manager | Lethuxolo Mthembu |
| Chief Financial Officer | N Mkhwanazi |
| Senior Management | Edward Bonga (Executive Manager: Planning and Economic Development) |
| Communications Officers | A Thandeka |
Main towns
Below are the major towns in the uMzinyathi District Municipality.
- Dundee
- Glencoe
- Greytown
- Kranskop
- Nquthu
- Pomeroy
Contact details
Contact details of the uMzinyathi District Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal address: | PO Box 1965, Dundee, 3000 |
| Physical address: | 39 Victoria Street, Princess Magogo Building, Dundee |
| Telephone: | 034 219 1500 |
| Fax: | 034 218 1940 |
| Email: | rc3@umzinyathi.gov.za |
| Website: | www.umzinyathi.gov.za |
