Ulundi Local Municipality is a local municipality

Local municipality (South Africa)

In South Africa, a local municipality or Category B municipality is a type of municipality that serves as the third, and most local, tier of local government...

 located on the southern boundary of the Zululand District Municipality

Zululand District Municipality

Zululand is one of the 11 district municipalities of KwaZulu-Natal province. The seat of Zululand is Ulundi. The majority of its 804,456 people speak IsiZulu . The district code is DC26...

 in northeastern KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....

, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. It is a mainly rural municipality that encompasses the town of 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 reserve

Game reserve

A game reserve is an area of land set aside for maintenance of wildlife for tourism or hunting purposes. Many game reserves are located in Africa. Most are open to the public, and tourists commonly take sightseeing safaris or hunt wild game....

s, historical/cultural sites, cultural events and guest lodges. Game reserves include the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Parks

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve, located 280 km north of Durban, is the oldest proclaimed park in Africa. It consists of 960 km² of hilly topography in central Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and is known for its rich wildlife and conservation efforts. The park is the only...

, 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

Piet Retief

Pieter Mauritz Retief was a South African Boer leader. Settling in 1814 in the frontier region of the Cape Colony, he assumed command of punitive expeditions in response to raiding parties from the adjacent Xhosa territory...

’s grave.

Towns and settlements

The Ulundi Local Municipal area covers approximately 4185 km² and includes the following towns and settlements:

• Ulundi, the region's commercial and service centre
• Nqulwane, with Okhukho Coal Mine and the influence of migration from other areas
• Mahlabathini, a rural node
• Babanango, which developed as a result of the forestry industry
• Mpungamhlophe (Denny Dalton), which developed as a result of road (R34) and rail infrastructure
• Ceza, which is also situated on the road network and developed in response to the establishment of a hospital, clinic and related social support services.

It also encompasses the following Traditional Authorities: Buthelezi, Hlathswayo, Jama, Lukhwazi, Ntuli, Mbatha, Mpungose, Ndebele, Ntombela, Usuthu, Ximba and Zungu.

Additionally, there are large farms in the western part of the area. Approximately half of the area consists of sparsely populated commercial farms.

Ulundi is the only urban centre, accommodating approximately 40 000 people (17.5% of the municipality's population). There are densely populated peri-urban areas surrounding the town and along the main roads: R34

R34 (North West)

The R34 is a Regional Route in South Africa that connects Vryburg with Richards Bay via Kroonstad and Newcastle.-External links:*...

, R66

R66 (KwaZulu-Natal)

The R66 is a Regional Route in South Africa that connects Gingindlovu with Pongola via Eshowe, Melmoth and Ulundi.-External links:*...

and P700.