uMuziwabantu Local Municipality

uMuziwabantu Municipality (Zulu: UMasipala woMuziwabantu) is a local municipality within the Ugu District Municipality, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. uMuziwabantu is an isiZulu word meaning "the people's home", or "a home with wide open doors where everyone is welcome".[3] The main source of income for the area is derived from the municipality's extensive wattle, gum, pine and poplar plantations, and associated industries, including saw mills and furniture-making factories.[4]

uMuziwabantu
Official seal of uMuziwabantu
Location in KwaZulu-Natal
Location in KwaZulu-Natal
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceKwaZulu-Natal
DistrictUgu
SeatHarding
Wards10
Government
 • TypeMunicipal council
 • MayorMzwandile Nyathi
Area
 • Total1,089 km2 (420 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total96,556
 • Density89/km2 (230/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African97.9%
 • Coloured1.1%
 • Indian/Asian0.4%
 • White0.5%
First languages (2011)
 • Zulu88.2%
 • Xhosa4.9%
 • English2.9%
 • Southern Ndebele1.3%
 • Other2.7%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal codeKZN214

Main places

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[5]

PlaceCodeArea (km2)Population
Dlamini50401100.827,802
Duma5040223.222,303
Harding5040332.635,236
Machi5040419.472,932
Machi/Zibonda50405206.6347,252
Mbotho5040661.66,634
Nhlangano5040789.8514,395
Nyuswa50408266
Quebela504090.771,110
Shwawu504104.741,069
Weza504121.03579
Remainder of the municipality50411545.762,971

Politics

The municipal council consists of twenty one members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Eleven councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in eleven wards, while the remaining eleven 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 African National Congress (ANC) won a minority of 10 seats on the council as opposed to eleven seats won by the opposing parties.The following table shows the results of the election.[6]

PartyWardListTotal
seats
Votes%SeatsVotes%Seats
African National Congress11,33047.57911,23446.98110
Inkatha Freedom Party5,68023.8515,78924.2145
Economic Freedom Fighters1,9588.2202,0168.4322
Al Jama-ah1,6466.9111,6176.7612
Abantu Batho Congress1,1945.0101,1704.8911
Democratic Alliance8133.4107733.2311
African Independent Congress3481.4604922.0600
African Transformation Movement3311.3903471.4500
National Freedom Party1950.8203701.5500
Independent candidates2150.9000
People's Freedom Party1080.4501060.4400
Total23,818100.001123,914100.001021
Valid votes23,81897.0323,91496.96
Invalid/blank votes7292.977503.04
Total votes24,547100.0024,664100.00
Registered voters/turnout45,07854.4545,07854.71

By-elections from November 2021

The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period since the election in November 2021.[7]

DateWardParty of the previous councillorParty of the newly elected councillor
13 October 202211Al Jama-ahInkatha Freedom Party

Most of ward 11 consists of the town of Harding, which was severely affected by the unrest in July 2021. A new ward, it was won by Sheikh Mondli Ncane from Al Jama-ah (AJ). An ANC coalition saw Ncane elected deputy-mayor. In June 2022, Ncane was ousted as deputy mayor, and replaced by a candidate from ANC coalition partner Abantu Batho Congress (ABC). Ncane quit his party, standing as a candidate for the Sizwe Ummah Nation (SUN) in the by-election. The seat was won by the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), which increased its share from 6% to 53%. Ncane got 31%, while the candidate from his previous party, AJ, got 1%.[8]

References

30°45′S 30°26′E / 30.750°S 30.433°E / -30.750; 30.433