Ulundi Municipality () is a local municipality within the southern part of the Zululand District Municipality, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is a mainly rural municipality, and its seat is Ulundi.
Population characteristics Recent surveys have identified the following characteristics of the municipality's population:Integrated Development Plan 2006/2007 to 2011/2012 — June 2009. Ulundi Local Municipality. Retrieved on Oct 11, 2009.
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 reserves, historical/cultural sites, cultural events and guest lodges. Game reserves include the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Parks, Babanango Game Reserve, 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’s grave.
Main places The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:Lookup Tables - Statistics South Africa Place Code Area (km2) Population Babanango 531016.541,297 Buthelezi Empithimpithini 53102464.4949,553 Inhlazatshe 5310313.601,214 Kwazunyawo 531045.911,298 Mahlabatini 531058.212,342 Mbatha 53106124.059,954 Mpungose 53107158.6427,726 Ndebele 5310893.4414,799 Nobamba 53109684.5641,286 Simelane 531103.48501 Ulundi 5311110.2718,420 Ximba 53112298.3419,330 Zungu 53113321.9817,228 Remainder of the municipality 531141,561.368,017
Politics
The municipal council consists of forty-seven members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Twenty-four councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in twenty-four wards, while the remaining twenty-three 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 1 November 2021 the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) won a majority of thirty-two seats on the council.
The following table shows the results of the election.
References
External links