Hibiscus Coast Local Municipality was a local municipality in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It governed the Hibiscus Coast on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast which attracts tourists from the province and other provinces as well as international tourists.

After municipal elections on 3 August 2016 it was merged into the larger Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality.

Beaches are to be found along the entire seaboard. Hibberdene Beach, Ramsgate Beach, Marina Beach/San Lameer, and Lucien Beach have been recognized as Blue Flag beaches."Our Beaches." Hibiscus Coast Municipality. Retrieved on Oct 7, 2009. The climate of the coastal areas is humid and subtropical — comparable to southern Florida in the United States, but not quite as hot and rainy in the summer.

The coastline is dotted with small towns, many of which serve as seasonal recreational hubs, such as Port Shepstone, Umtamvuna / Port Edward, Margate, Hibberdene and Impenjati / Southbroom. These towns feature a wide range of tourist-oriented businesses, including restaurants, bars, clubs, movie houses, golf courses, clothing shops, museums, and various types of accommodations. The income from these businesses has economically benefited the municipality as a whole.IDP Review 2008/2009. Hibiscus Coast Municipality. Retrieved on Oct 7, 2009.

Other economic activities include fishing, agriculture, crafts, and bead works.

The hilly inland regions of the municipality are largely under the ownership of tribal authorities. Such "traditional" settlements include KwaXolo, KwaNzimakwe, KwaNdwalane, KwaMadlala, KwaMavundla and KwaLushaba.

History Prior to the demise of Apartheid in 1994, the Hibiscus Coast was divided into five main Transitional Local Councils, namely Port Shepstone, Margate, Hibberdene, Southbroom (Impenjati- Southbroom TLC) and Port Edward (Umtamvuna TLC).

Main places The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:Lookup Tables - Statistics South Africa Place Code Area (km2) Population Anerley 50601 1.2 376 Brevo 50602 0.24 27 Gamalakhe 50603 3.45 13,570 Hibberdene 50604 4.67 1,016 Kwaxolo 50606 167.84 48,024 Lushaba 50607 14.79 8,106 Madlala 50608 33.24 7,896 Marburg 50609 6.78 7,586 Margate 50610 10.05 8,654 Marina Beach 50611 1.13 123 Mavundla 50612 25.49 20,066 Melville 50613 1.17 327 Munster 50615 1.67 114 Nsimbini/Ndwalane 50616 34.77 36,335 Nzimakwe 50617 46.38 22,279 Oslo Beach 50618 3.13 2,052 Port Edward 50619 15.54 2,963 Port Shepstone Part 1 50620 7.67 7,546 Port Shepstone Part 2 50635 8.01 2,090 Pumula 50621 1.92 406 Ramsgate 50622 6.03 1,490 San Lameer 50623 1.75 81 Sea Park 50624 3.1 1,249 Sentombi 50625 7.81 869 Shelly Beach 50626 5.77 2,713 Southbroom 50627 10.3 862 Southport 50628 1.97 959 Sunwich Port 50629 0.5 626 Trafalgar 50630 4.89 424 Umtamvuna Nature Reserve 50614 18.82 21 Umtentweni 50631 10.11 3,445 Umzumbe 50633 2.3 452 Uvongo 50634 10.35 3,879 Remainder of the municipality 50605 358.15 11,130

Politics The municipal council consisted of fifty-eight members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Twenty-nine councillors were elected by first-past-the-post voting in twenty-nine wards, while the remaining twenty-nine were chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives was proportional to the number of votes received. In the election of 18 May 2011 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of forty-one seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election. Party Votes Seats Ward List Total % Ward List Total 54,658 55,515 110,173 70.2 21 20 41 14,580 14,769 29,349 18.7 8 3 11 4,526 4,539 9,065 5.8 0 3 3 2,347 2,189 4,536 2.9 0 2 2 608 615 1,223 0.8 0 1 1 375 442 817 0.5 0 0 0 356 311 667 0.4 0 0 0 217 197 414 0.3 0 0 0 219 140 359 0.2 0 0 0 278 – 278 0.2 0 – 0 Total 78,164 78,717 156,881 100.0 29 29 58 Spoilt votes 1,263 1,000 2,263

References

External links Official website