UMzimkhulu Municipality is a local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. It is one four (4) local municipalities (i.e. UBuhlebezwe, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Greater Kokstad) of the Harry Gwala District Municipality. The district is bordered by Ugu District in the East, UMgungundlovu District in the North, Lesotho in the West and the province of the Eastern Cape in the South. The municipality consists of 22 wards covering an area of 2,435.9 km². Approximately 90.8% of the population resides in rural areas, while the remaining 9.2% is urban based. The population density stands at 80.9 persons/km². The nodal areas include UMzimkhulu Town, Riverside, Ibisi and Rietvlei. The municipality is also characterised by the presence of Traditional Authorities that cover the rural areas. The municipality is the most populous within Harry Gwala District Municipality, accounting for 38.6% of the district’s population, with a population of 197 286. The male to female gender split stands at 45.9% and 54.1% respectively. UMzimkhulu municipality has within it numerous places of Environmental, Cultural and Heritage significance such as ENtsikeni Nature Reserve that is dominated by wetlands, grasslands and indigenous forests that form important breeding sites for bird species, thus creating a unique birding route within the district; Fodo Cultural Village; as well as Numerous heritage sites and artefacts such as the Lourdes and Emmaus Missions and Khoi-San rock art.
