Umvoti Municipality (Zulu: UMasipala wase Umvoti) is a local municipality within the Umzinyathi District Municipality, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.
Umvoti | |
|---|---|
 Seal | |
.svg) Location in KwaZulu-Natal | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | KwaZulu-Natal |
| District | uMzinyathi |
| Seat | Greytown |
| Wards | 14 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Philani Mavundla (ABC) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,516 km2 (971 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
| • Total | 103,093 |
| • Density | 41/km2 (110/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 94.6% |
| • Coloured | 0.8% |
| • Indian/Asian | 2.2% |
| • White | 2.2% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Zulu | 90.9% |
| • English | 5.0% |
| • Other | 4.1% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Municipal code | KZN245 |
The municipality is named after the Umvoti River, which runs from the west to the east towards the Indian Ocean. The municipality is situated nearer the mouth of the river.[4]
Greytown, a small but vibrant town, is the main provider of higher income jobs in senior management, and professional and technical services, providing 26.8% of all jobs in the Umvoti area. The manufacturing sector makes the second largest contribution to the local economy. There is limited economic activity taking place within the traditional authority areas.[5]
Main places
The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[6]
| Place | Code | Area (km2) | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amakhabela | 52301 | 352.14 | 13,734 |
| Bomvu | 52302 | 120.15 | 18,054 |
| Cele Nhlangwini | 52303 | 26.60 | 6,447 |
| Enhlalakahle | 52304 | 1.45 | 8,530 |
| Greytown | 52305 | 6.83 | 7,290 |
| Hlongwa | 52306 | 12.24 | 21 |
| Kranskop | 52307 | 1.47 | 834 |
| Mgome | 52308 | 28.54 | 2,195 |
| Mthembu | 52309 | 54.98 | 9,031 |
| Ngcolosi | 52310 | 75.63 | 5,006 |
| Ntanzi | 52311 | 6.91 | 214 |
| Remainder of the municipality | 52312 | 1,824.16 | 20,935 |
Politics
The municipal council consists of twenty-seven members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Fourteen councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in fourteen wards, while the remaining thirteen 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) lost its majority, obtaining a plurality of ten seats on the council.The following table shows the results of the election.[7]
| Party | Ward | List | Total seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |||
| African National Congress | 11,847 | 35.97 | 6 | 11,921 | 36.29 | 4 | 10 | |
| Inkatha Freedom Party | 10,797 | 32.78 | 5 | 11,113 | 33.83 | 4 | 9 | |
| Abantu Batho Congress | 8,004 | 24.30 | 3 | 8,162 | 24.85 | 4 | 7 | |
| Democratic Alliance | 749 | 2.27 | 0 | 766 | 2.33 | 1 | 1 | |
| Economic Freedom Fighters | 594 | 1.80 | 0 | 511 | 1.56 | 0 | 0 | |
| Independent candidates | 511 | 1.55 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| African Mantungwa Community | 246 | 0.75 | 0 | 158 | 0.48 | 0 | 0 | |
| National Freedom Party | 113 | 0.34 | 0 | 137 | 0.42 | 0 | 0 | |
| African Transformation Movement | 75 | 0.23 | 0 | 82 | 0.25 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 32,936 | 100.00 | 14 | 32,850 | 100.00 | 13 | 27 | |
| Valid votes | 32,936 | 98.50 | 32,850 | 98.03 | ||||
| Invalid/blank votes | 501 | 1.50 | 661 | 1.97 | ||||
| Total votes | 33,437 | 100.00 | 33,511 | 100.00 | ||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 59,501 | 56.20 | 59,501 | 56.32 | ||||
By-elections from November 2021
The following by-elections were held to fill vacant ward seats in the period from the election in November 2021.
| Date | Ward | Party of the previous councillor | Party of the newly elected councillor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 May 2022[8] | 13 | African National Congress | African National Congress | ||
| 3 August 2022[9] | 52405005 | Inkatha Freedom Party | Inkatha Freedom Party | ||