The uPhongolo Local Municipality is a Category B municipality situated in the northeastern region of the Zululand 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: | Zululand |
| Municipal code: | KZN262 |
| Seat: | Pongola |
| Number of wards: | 15 |
| Total area: | 3,110 km² (1,201 square miles) |
| Population: | 151,541 (in 2022) |
| Population density: | 48.73 people/km² |
| Executive mayor: | Bhekinkosi Thwala |
About
The uPhongolo Local Municipality was established on the 5 December 2000 after Demarcation process and the local Government elections of that date.
The municipality is named after the uPhongolo River, which traverses the municipal area. i is an isiZulu word for “trough”, referring to the many deep pools with steep sides along the river’s course.
The uPhongolo Local Municipality is geographically located in the northeastern region of the Zululand District Municipality in the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal Province, adjacent to the Mpumalanga Province Border and Eswatini Border .
Covering an area of 3,110 km² (1,201 square miles), the uPhongolo Municipality is the third-largest of five local municipalities in the Zululand District.
The municipality comprises 15 electoral wards that are largely composed of traditional areas, with tribal land patterns and high density rural settlements. Approximately 80% of the population lives in rural areas.
The uPhongolo Local Municipality is bordered by:
- eDumbe Local Municipality to the west
- AbaQulusi Local Municipality to the west and south
- Nongoma Local Municipality to the south
- Jozini Local Municipality in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality to the east
- The country of Eswatini to the north
- Mkhondo Local Municipality in the Gert Sibande District Municipality in Mpumalanga Province to the northwest
The administrative headquarters/seat of the uPhongolo Local Municipality is in Pongola town, approximately 206 kilometres northwest of Richards Bay, 378 kilometres northeast of Durban (the provincial economic powerhouse), and 442 kilometres northeast of Pietermaritzburg (the provincial capital), and 417 kilometres southeast of Johannesburg (the country economic hub).
Main access to the uPhongolo Municipality is via the N2 National Road corridor that passes through the municipal area as a national link between Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and the Richards Bay complex, and on to Durban in the south.
The N2 also connects with Eswatini just to the north of the uPhongolo Municipal area. This is the primary development corridor in uPhongolo Local Municipality.
The two main rivers that pass through the municipality are the uPhongolo River in the north and the Mkuze River in the south, the former feeding the Pongolapoort Dam, located on the eastern boundary of the municipality.
The uPhongolo River rises just east of Wakkerstroom and drains an area of nearly 8,000 km² where the rainfall often exceeds 1,000 mm a year. Because the irrigation weir at Pongola could not fully regulate the river’s erratic water flow, the 89-meter-high Pongolapoort Dam wall was built in 1972 in a narrow gorge in the Lebombo Mountains.
Population
According to the South African National Census of 2022, the uPhongolo Local Municipality has a population of 151,541 people, compared to 141,247 in 2016, and 123,584 in 2011.
The municipality has a population growth per annum of 1.98%.
According to the 2022 Census, 34.6% of the population is under the age of 15, 60.7% is between 15 and 64, and 4.7% is over 65.
Racial makeup
According to the 2022 Census, 98.1% of the population in the uPhongolo Local Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 1.5% as White, 0.1% as Coloured, and 0.1% as Indian/Asian.
Languages
According to the 2022 Census, 94% of the population speaks isiZulu as their first language, 1.5% speak Afrikaans, 1.2% speak isiNdebele, 1.1% speak English, and 2.2% speak other languages.
Economy
The main economic sectors of the uPhongolo Local Municipality are tourism and agriculture.
Tourism and agriculture form the basis for the municipality’s economy. Major development components consist of game and nature reserves, agricultural activities, traditional settlement areas and some urban nodes.
The public sector is the major provider of employment opportunities. However, the informal sector is broadening, mainly based on informal financial services, the taxi industry, and taverns.
Large areas of citrus and sugarcane are cultivated in the municipal area.
Municipal council and management
The uPhongolo municipal council is comprised of 29 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.
Fifteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in 15 wards, while the remaining 14 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) won a majority of 15 seats.
| Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party) | IFP: 15, ANC: 10, NFP: 2, DA: 1, EFF: 1 |
| Controlling party | IFP |
| Executive Mayor | Bhekinkosi Thwala |
| Deputy Executive Mayor | B J Thwala |
| Speaker | K.E Nxumalo |
| Chief Whip | B.E.S Ntshangase |
| Other Council Members | – M.V.M Mbatha – S.R Mhlongo (Exco Member – PR) – C.M Nxumalo-Sibiya (Exco Member – PR) – B.R Shongwe (Exco Member – PR) |
| Municipal Manager | B.M Khali |
| Chief Financial Officer | K.W.G Ngcobo |
| Senior Management | – M Buthelezi (Director: Technical Services) – B.C.X Dladla (Director: Community Services) – M.V.M Mbatha MVM Mbatha (Director: Planning and Development) – S.S.P Xaba (Director: Corporate Services) |
| Communications Officers | – M.C Gumbi (Manager: Information Communications Technology) – M.B Khali (Municipal Manager) |
Towns/places
Below are the towns/places in the uPhongolo Local Municipality.
- Belgrade
- Golela
- Ncotshane
- Pongola
Contact details
The contact details of the uPhongolo Local Municipality are listed in the table below.
| Postal Address: | P.O. Box 191, Pongola, 3170 |
| Physical Address: | 61 Martin Street, Pongola, 3170 |
| Telephone: | 034 413 1223 |
| Fax: | 034 413 1706 |
| Email: | info@uphongolo.gov.za |
| Website: | www.uphongolo.gov.za |
