uMhlabuyalingana Local Municipality

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uMhlabuyalingana
Local municipality
Official seal of uMhlabuyalingana
Seal
Location of UMhlabuyalingana Local Municipality within KwaZulu-Natal
Location of UMhlabuyalingana Local Municipality within KwaZulu-Natal
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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 km2 (1,531 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 156,736
 • Density 40/km2 (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 SAST (UTC+2)
Municipal code KZN271

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 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, Mbazwana, 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 (km2) 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-four members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Seventeen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in seventeen 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 18 May 2011 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 25,584 25,952 51,536 64.0 17 5 22
Inkatha Freedom Party 9,387 9,183 18,570 23.1 0 8 8
National Freedom Party 4,546 4,365 8,911 11.1 0 4 4
African Christian Democratic Party 366 162 528 0.7 0 0 0
Democratic Alliance 193 327 520 0.6 0 0 0
Federal Congress 125 145 270 0.3 0 0 0
South African Democratic Congress 116 84 200 0.2 0 0 0
Total 40,317 40,218 80,535 100.0 17 17 34
Spoilt votes 763 767 1,530

References

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  2. 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  4. 4.0 4.1 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
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External links