uPhongolo Local Municipality

uPhongolo
Local municipality
Seal
Location of UPhongolo Local Municipality within KwaZulu-Natal
Coordinates: 27°23′S 31°37′E
Country	South Africa
Province	KwaZulu-Natal
District	Zululand
Seat	Pongola
Wards	15
Government
• Type	Municipal council
• Mayor	Mr. S Mhlongo (2020)
Area
• Total	3,239 km2 (1,251 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	127,238
• Density	39/km2 (100/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	98.1%
• Coloured	0.1%
• Indian/Asian	0.1%
• White	1.5%
First languages (2011)
• Zulu	94.0%
• Afrikaans	1.5%
• Southern Ndebele	1.2%
• English	1.1%
• Other	2.2%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal code	KZN262

uPhongolo Municipality (Zulu: UMasipala wasoPhongolo) is a local municipality within the northern area of the Zululand District Municipality, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.

In 2007, the municipality contained 154 rural shops, 124 schools, 27 hotels, resorts or conference facilities, 15 clinics, 12 recreational facilities, 6 community halls, 4 post offices, 2 police stations, and 2 law courts. The municipality is largely composed of traditional areas, with tribal land patterns and high density rural settlements. 82% of the population lives in rural areas.

Geography

The N2 national road corridor passes through the uPhongolo area as a national link between Gauteng and the Richards Bay complex, and on to Durban in the south. It also connects with Eswatini just to the north of the uPhongolo Municipal area. This is the primary development corridor in uPhongolo.

The two main rivers in the municipality are the Mkuze River in the south and the uPhongolo River in the north, the latter 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. Phongolo is the Zulu word for "trough," referring to the many deep pools with steep sides along the river's course. Also located near Eswatini.

Economy

Agriculture and tourism 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 dominant provider of employment opportunities. However, the informal sector is expanding, primarily based on the taxi industry, informal financial services and taverns.

Large areas of sugarcane and citrus are cultivated in the region.

The uPhongolo Municipality provides regional access to a wide range of tourist activities outside its own boundaries. It has within its area of jurisdiction two key tourist attractions: the Ithala Game Reserve and the Pongolapoort Dam. These attractions are complemented by a large number of private game farms and game reserves, on which a number of lodges and other tourist facilities are located.

Average income levels are low, with 66% of households receiving no income or less than R2400 per month. The traditional and rural areas are the most poverty stricken. Unemployment levels are relatively high; only 13.43% of the population are formally employed. Close to half of the population are children, placing pressure on the need for educational and social facilities. Many of these children are orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS.

Politics

Main article: uPhongolo Local Municipality elections

The municipal council consists of twenty-nine members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Fifteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in fifteen wards, while the remaining fourteen 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 fifteen seats. The following table shows the results of the election.

Party		Ward			List			Total seats
		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats
	Inkatha Freedom Party	16,592	48.39	13	17,896	51.65	2	15
	African National Congress	11,499	33.54	2	11,872	34.27	8	10
	National Freedom Party	1,428	4.16	0	1,631	4.71	2	2
	Democratic Alliance	1,348	3.93	0	1,358	3.92	1	1
	Economic Freedom Fighters	1,138	3.32	0	1,221	3.52	1	1
	Independent candidates	1,644	4.79	0				0
	African Christian Democratic Party	164	0.48	0	193	0.56	0	0
	National People's Front	134	0.39	0	148	0.43	0	0
	Pongola People's Party	100	0.29	0	138	0.40	0	0
	African People's Convention	79	0.23	0	73	0.21	0	0
	African Mantungwa Community	50	0.15	0	34	0.10	0	0
	Abantu Batho Congress	29	0.08	0	37	0.11	0	0
	African Transformation Movement	20	0.06	0	31	0.09	0	0
	African People's Movement	30	0.09	0	15	0.04	0	0
	United Christian Democratic Party	33	0.10	0				0
Total		34,288	100.00	15	34,647	100.00	14	29
Valid votes		34,288	98.53		34,647	98.62
Invalid/blank votes		513	1.47		484	1.38
Total votes		34,801	100.00		35,131	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		64,045	54.34		64,045	54.85

Main places

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:

Place	Code	Area (km2)	Population
Dlamini	52801	59.89	2,073
Itala Nature Reserve	52802	251.71	149
Msibi	52803	140.19	6,728
Ntshangase	52804	258.14	49,672
Pongola	52805	4.66	2,562
Sibiya/Masidla	52806	258.68	24,908
Simelane	52807	67.64	10,813
Remainder of the municipality	52808	2,190.35	22,865

External links

• Official website