uMhlabuyalingana Local Municipality

uMhlabuyalingana Local Municipality is one of the five municipalities in the jurisdiction of uMkhanyakude District Municipality, situated in the northeastern part of KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa. The municipality is one of the poorest municipalities in the country; it encompasses a World Heritage Site and several areas under environmental protection.[4]

uMhlabuyalingana
Local municipality
Seal
Location of UMhlabuyalingana Local Municipality within KwaZulu-Natal
Coordinates: 27°1′S 32°44′E
Country	South Africa
Province	KwaZulu-Natal
District	uMkhanyakude
Seat	Kwangwanase
Wards	17
Government [1]
• Type	Municipal council
• Mayor	D. A. Ncube
Area
• Total	3,964 km^2 (1,531 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[2]
• Total	156,736
• Density	40/km^2 (100/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [2]
• Black African	99.3%
• Coloured	0.1%
• Indian/Asian	0.1%
• White	0.3%
First languages (2011) [3]
• Zulu	95.7%
• English	1.2%
• Southern Ndebele	1.0%
• Other	2.1%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal code	KZN271

uMhlabuyalingana was approximately 98% rural in 2001, with a population of 140 963, according to Statistics South Africa.

Towns and major settlement nodes in the area include Emanguzi, Mbazwana, Kwangwanase, Maputa, Mboza, Mseleni and Skhemelele.

uMhlabuyalingana Local Municipality is made up of at least 99% black African people, most of whom are Zulu-speaking. The population is very young: 44% are younger than 15, and 77% are younger than 35 years old. Because of its youth, uMhlabuyalingana's population is particularly vulnerable to the impact of HIV/AIDS.[4]

Areas of conservation and environmental interest within or adjacent to the uMhlabuyalingana area include the Tembe Elephant Park, iSimangaliso Wetland Park (a World Heritage Site), the Suni-Ridge Sand Forest Park, and the Phongolo Nature Reserve.

Missing funds

On 8 April 2009, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), which controls the municipality, summoned its entire caucus to a meeting aimed at determining the veracity of reports alleging more than R3,000,000 (US$403,390) in funds unaccounted for. Professor Themba Msimang, chairman of the party's Policy Oversight Committee (POC), and also current chair of South Africa's Heraldry Council, called for uMhlabuyalingana to accept a forensic audit. According to an IFP press release, Msimang stated that the party was "highly agitated" by the reports, "not simply because of the implication of corruption but also because it transgressed everything the party stands for... We will have to await the process that entails the municipality's council calling for such a forensic audit. I can assure you, though, our party will get to the bottom of this, and, if heads have to roll, so be it: they will."[5]

Main places

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

Place	Code	Area (km^2)	Population
Mabaso	53201	543.41	19,398
Manukuza/Jobe	53202	20.79	314
Mashabane	53203	708.01	26,620
Ndumu Game Reserve	53204	13.69	6
Tembe Elephant Reserve	53206	275.27	36
Tembe	53205	1,909.15	79,111
Zikhali/Mbila	53207	202.24	15,489

Politics

The municipal council consists of thirty-five members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Eighteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in eighteen wards, while the remaining seventeen 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 3 August 2016 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of twenty-two 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	27,912	28,836	56,748	58.3	17	5	22
	Inkatha Freedom Party	13,304	13,897	27,201	27.9	1	9	10
	Independent	5,212	–	5,212	5.4	0	–	0
	African Independent Congress	1,065	2,865	3,930	4.0	0	1	1
	Democratic Alliance	933	1,278	2,211	2.3	0	1	1
	Economic Freedom Fighters	905	1,140	2,045	2.1	0	1	1
Total		49,331	48,016	97,347	100.0	18	17	35
Spoilt votes		1,428	2,251	3,679

Following a by election which took place in March 2019 the ANC won a ward previously held by the IFP, the council is reconstituted as follows:

Party		Ward	PR list	Total
	African National Congress	18	5	23
	Inkatha Freedom Party	0	9	9
	African Independent Congress	0	1	1
	Democratic Alliance	0	1	1
	Economic Freedom Fighters	0	1	1
Total		18	17	35

References

1. "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. 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. Integrated Development Plan 2008-2009. uMhlabuyalingana Local Municipality. Retrieved on Oct 12, 2009.
5. IFP Press Statement. "IFP Calls for Forensic Audit into uMhlabuyalingana Municipality." Inkatha Freedom Party, 9 April 2009.
6. Lookup Tables - Statistics South Africa
7. "Results Summary – All Ballots: Umhlabuyalingana" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
8. "Seat Calculation Detail: Umhlabuyalingana" (PDF). Independent Electoral Commission. Retrieved 6 October 2016.

External links

• Official website