Umzimkhulu Local Municipality

Umzimkhulu
Local municipality
Seal
Location in KwaZulu-Natal
Country	South Africa
Province	KwaZulu-Natal
District	Harry Gwala
Seat	Umzimkhulu
Wards	20
Government[1]
• Type	Municipal council
• Mayor	Mphuthumi Mpabanga
Area
• Total	2,435 km^2 (940 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
• Total	180,302
• Density	74/km^2 (190/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[2]
• Black African	99.3%
• Coloured	0.3%
• Indian/Asian	0.1%
• White	0.1%
First languages (2011)[3]
• Zulu	47.3%
• Xhosa	46.3%
• English	1.6%
• Other	4.8%
Time zone	SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code	KZN435

Umzimkhulu Local Municipality is an administrative area in the Harry Gwala District of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Umzimkhulu is an isiXhosa and an isiZulu name meaning “Big/Great house”.^[4]

About 90.8% of the population reside in rural areas, while the remaining 9.2% are urban based. Umzimkhulu faces severe backlogs with respect to water, sanitation and electricity provision. In addition, road infrastructure remains poor and provides only limited access to the area.^[5]

Main places

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:^[6]

Place	Code	Area (km^2)	Population
Bisi	23701	0.64	57
Clydesdale	23702	2.43	1,774
Dumakude	23703	178.10	10,252
Fodo	23704	237.33	17,311
Ibisi	23705	2.56	2,442
Indawana	23706	231.34	18,411
Jogilizwe	23707	39.00	5,222
Jongilizwe	23708	19.44	3,004
Ladamu	23709	78.41	6,701
Mabandla	23710	129.08	3,671
Malenge	23711	91.61	4,232
Mvolozi	23712	162.26	16,006
Nqozama	23713	4.26	287
Rietvlei 1	23714	40.55	2,666
Rietvlei 2	23715	4.25	700
Rietvlei 3 Part 1	23716	3.91	4,374
Rietvlei 3 Part 2	23724	0.13	221
Sandile	23717	133.94	8,735
Silahla	23718	126.47	13,275
Singisi	23719	1.36	813
Straalhoek Forrest Station	23721	0.20	66
Straalhoek	23720	0.13	135
Umzimkhulu	23725	12.56	6,519
Zwelethu	23723	203.23	17,240
Remainder of the municipality	23722	732.90	30,251

Politics

The municipal council consists of forty members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Twenty councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in twenty wards, while the remaining twenty 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 18 May 2011 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of thirty-six seats on the council.

The following table shows the results of the election.^[7][8]

Party		Votes				Seats
		Ward	List	Total	%	Ward	List	Total
	African National Congress	41,263	43,121	84,384	89.7	19	17	36
	National Freedom Party	1,844	1,804	3,648	3.9	0	2	2
	Inkatha Freedom Party	898	735	1,633	1.7	0	1	1
	Independent	1,553	–	1,553	1.6	1	–	1
	Democratic Alliance	673	567	1,240	1.3	0	0	0
	Congress of the People	312	499	811	0.9	0	0	0
	United Democratic Movement	165	257	422	0.5	0	0	0
	African Christian Democratic Party	255	113	368	0.4	0	0	0
Total		46,963	47,096	94,059	100.0	20	20	40
Spoilt votes		1,083	738	1,821

The independent councillor joined the Democratic Alliance (DA) in 2013, triggering a by-election in which he lost his seat to the African National Congress (ANC). The ANC thus increased their majority to thirty-seven seats on the council.^[9]

References

1. "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
2. "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
3. "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
4. South African Languages - Place names
5. KwaZulu-Natal Top Business - Umzimkhulu Municipality
6. Lookup Tables - Statistics South Africa
7. "Results Summary – All Ballots: Umzimkhulu" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
8. "Seat Calculation Detail: Umzimkhulu" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
9. http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/6d9b45804fa3d86eb298fe2c80eaac98/ANC-wins-KZN-by-elections-20131605

External links

• Official website

Coordinates: 30°15′45″S 29°55′15″E / 30.26250°S 29.92083°E