Zululand District Municipality

The Zululand District Municipality is a Category C municipality located in the northeastern region of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.

Zululand District Municipality

Type of municipality:District (Category C)
Province:KwaZulu-Natal
Municipal code:DC26
Seat:Ulundi
Local municipalities:5
Total area:14,799 km² (5,714 square miles)
Population:942,794 (in 2022)
Executive mayor:Michael Khumalo

About

The Zululand District Municipality is geographically situated in the northeastern part of KwaZulu-Natal. Its headquarters/seat is in Ulundi.

Zululand District Municipality covers an area of 14,799 km² (5,714 square miles) and is the biggest district in KwaZulu-Natal, making up 16% of the province’s geographical area.

The main access to the district is via the N2 from Gauteng in the northwest, which connects to Durban in the south of KwaZulu-Natal.

The district is made up of five local municipalities namely;

  1. AbaQulusi Local Municipality
  2. eDumbe Local Municipality
  3. Nongoma Local Municipality
  4. Ulundi Local Municipality
  5. uPhongolo Local Municipality

The Zululand District Municipality is bordered by the country of Eswatini and Gert Sibande District Municipality in Mpumalanga to the north, Amajuba District Municipality to the west, uMzinyathi District Municipality to the southwest, King Cetshwayo District Municipality to the south, and uMkhanyakude District Municipality to the east.

Zululand has a rich history that is woven into the surrounding landscape. The district contains the most diverse concentration of wildlife sanctuaries in South Africa and has a diversity of animal, bird, and plant life.

Zululand district is generally rural with commercial farmland surrounded by protected areas, towns, and scattered rural settlements within Traditional Authority Areas.

Most of these rural settlements are small and dense, making service delivery to these remote areas difficult and extremely costly. This poses a challenge since it becomes very difficult for the district’s local municipalities to build a proper tax base, which could be utilised for the provision and maintenance of services.

The district mainly has two urban centres in Vryheid and Ulundi. The town of Vryheid is a commercial and business hub, while Ulundi Town is primarily an administrative centre and is home to the district’s headquarters.

Map

A map of Zululand District Municipality with its five Local Municipalities
A map of Zululand District Municipality with its five Local Municipalities.

Population

According to the South African National Census of 2022, the Zululand District Municipality has a population of 942,794 residents, compared to 892,310 in 2016, and 803,575 in 2011.

The municipality has a population growth per annum of 1.55%.

According to the 2022 Census, 34.3% of the population is under the age of 15, 60.2% is between 15 and 64, and 5.5% is over 65.

Racial makeup

According to the 2022 Census, 98% of the population in the Zululand District Municipality describe themselves as Black African, 1.4% as White, 0.2% as Indian/Asian, and 0.2% as Coloured.

Languages

According to the 2022 Census, 94.3% of the population speaks isiZulu as their first language, 1.5% speak English, 1.3% speak Afrikaans, 1.1% speak isiNdebele, and 1.8% speak other languages.

Economy

The economy of Zululand District Municipality is driven by the tertiary sector, with community services having the highest contribution at 31%, followed by finance at 18% and trade at 12%. This can be attributed to the presence of government departments in the Zululand district.

District council and management

Composition of Council (No. of seats by political party)IFP: 8
ANC: 3
NFP: 3
EFF: 1
Executive MayorMichael Khumalo
Deputy Executive MayorSI Mbatha
SpeakerDT Memela
Chief Whipn/a
Other Council Members– MB Khumalo
– RM Zulu
Municipal ManagerNtokozo Hlongwa
Chief Financial OfficerSthe Msibi
Senior Managementn/a
Communications OfficersZD Mthethwa (Communication Manager)

Towns/villages

Below are towns/villages in the Zululand District Municipality.

  • Louwsburg
  • Nongoma
  • Paulpietersburg
  • Pongola
  • Ulundi
  • Vryheid

Contact details

Contact details of the Zululand District Municipality are listed in the table below.

Postal address:Private Bag X76, Ulundi, 3838
Physical address:400 Ugagane Street, Ulundi
Telephone:035 874 5500
Fax:– 035 874 5591
– 035 874 5589
Email:info@zululand.org.za
Website:www.zululand.org.za
Fraud & Corruption Hotline:Tel:
Email: Zululand