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Wikipedia / Ulundi Local Municipality

Ulundi Municipality () is a local municipality within the southern part of the Zululand District Municipality, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is a mainly rural municipality, and its seat is Ulundi.

Population characteristics

Recent surveys have identified the following characteristics of the municipality's population:

More than half the population is younger than 19 years of age, placing pressure on the need for social facilities. A significant number of these children will be orphaned due to HIV/AIDS.

At least 12% of the population (27 450 people) are already infected with HIV/AIDS. Population growth is expected to decline over the next 20 years.

Education levels are very low; 29% of the population has no formal education.

Income levels are very low; nearly 40% of households have no income. Unemployment levels are very high, with only 12.5% of the total population being formally employed.

The population is predominantly Zulu in ethnicity and culture.

Places of interest

The tourism potential of the area remains largely undeveloped; however, the area features a number of activities and places of interest. These include game reserves, historical/cultural sites, cultural events and guest lodges. Game reserves include the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Parks, Babanango Game Reserve, the Ophathe Game Park, the Emakhosini (Valley of the Zulu Kings), the planned Emakhosini-Ophathe Conservancy, and the ThakaZulu Game Reserve. Historical/cultural sites include Nodwengu (King Mpande’s residence and grave), Ulundi Battlefield, Amafa and Dingaan Stat/Piet Retief’s grave.

Main places

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

Place

Code

Area (km2)

Population

Babanango

53101

6.54

1,297

Buthelezi Empithimpithini

53102

464.49

49,553

Inhlazatshe

53103

13.60

1,214

Kwazunyawo

53104

5.91

1,298

Mahlabatini

53105

8.21

2,342

Mbatha

53106

124.05

9,954

Mpungose

53107

158.64

27,726

Ndebele

53108

93.44

14,799

Nobamba

53109

684.56

41,286

Simelane

53110

3.48

501

Ulundi

53111

10.27

18,420

Ximba

53112

298.34

19,330

Zungu

53113

321.98

17,228

Remainder of the municipality

53114

1,561.36

8,017

Politics

The municipal council consists of forty-seven members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Twenty-four councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in twenty-four wards, while the remaining twenty-three 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 thirty-two seats on the council.

The following table shows the results of the election.

References