# Ulundi Local Municipality

Ulundi Municipality (Zulu: UMasipala wasoLundi) 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:
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, 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:
| Place | Code | Area (km$^2$) | Population |
| Babanango | 53101 | 6.54 | 1,297 |
| Buthelezi Empithimpithini | 53102 | 464.49 | 49,553 |
| Inhlazatshe | 53103 | 13.60 | 1,214 |
| Kwazunyawo | 53104 | 5.91 | 1,298 |
| Mahlabatini | 53105 | 8.21 | 2,342 |
| Mbatha | 53106 | 124.05 | 9,954 |
| Mpungose | 53107 | 158.64 | 27,726 |
| Ndebele | 53108 | 93.44 | 14,799 |
| Nobamba | 53109 | 684.56 | 41,286 |
| Simelane | 53110 | 3.48 | 501 |
| Ulundi | 53111 | 10.27 | 18,420 |
| Ximba | 53112 | 298.34 | 19,330 |
| Zungu | 53113 | 321.98 | 17,228 |
| Remainder of the municipality | 53114 | 1,561.36 | 8,017 |

## 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.
| Party | Party | Ward | Ward | Ward | List | List | List | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | Inkatha Freedom Party | 29,621 | 63.28 | 24 | 31,729 | 67.76 | 8 | 32 |
| | National Freedom Party | 6,988 | 14.93 | 0 | 7,134 | 15.23 | 7 | 7 |
| | African National Congress | 5,329 | 11.39 | 0 | 5,145 | 10.99 | 5 | 5 |
| | Economic Freedom Fighters | 2,034 | 4.35 | 0 | 2,023 | 4.32 | 2 | 2 |
| | Independent candidates | 2,018 | 4.31 | 0 | | | | 0 |
| | Democratic Alliance | 462 | 0.99 | 0 | 469 | 1.00 | 1 | 1 |
| | African People's Movement | 184 | 0.39 | 0 | 110 | 0.23 | 0 | 0 |
| | Academic Congress Union | 63 | 0.13 | 0 | 47 | 0.10 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Christian Democratic Party | 50 | 0.11 | 0 | 41 | 0.09 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Freedom Revolution | 16 | 0.03 | 0 | 48 | 0.10 | 0 | 0 |
| | Abantu Batho Congress | 24 | 0.05 | 0 | 27 | 0.06 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Security Congress | 6 | 0.01 | 0 | 40 | 0.09 | 0 | 0 |
| | African Transformation Movement | 12 | 0.03 | 0 | 14 | 0.03 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 46,807 | 100.00 | 24 | 46,827 | 100.00 | 23 | 47 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 46,807 | 98.59 | | 46,827 | 98.53 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 671 | 1.41 | | 697 | 1.47 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 47,478 | 100.00 | | 47,524 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 94,019 | 50.50 | | 94,019 | 50.55 | | |