UMhlathuze Local Municipality
uMhlathuze Local Municipality is in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, within the King Cetshwayo District. It covers about 793 square kilometres and had an estimated population of 412,000 in 2022. The seat is Richards Bay. The municipality is named after the Mhlatuze River. In 2016 it grew when part of Ntambanana Local Municipality was merged into it.
The council has 67 members: 34 elected in wards and 33 from party lists to ensure proportional representation. In the 2021 elections, the African National Congress (ANC) won the most seats (27) but did not secure a majority. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) formed coalitions to run the council, and by-elections held after an ANC resignation strengthened the IFP’s position.
Demographics show about 88% of residents are Black African, with smaller shares of White, Indian/Asian, and Coloured communities. The most spoken first language is Zulu (about 61%), followed by English (about 20%) and Afrikaans (about 15%). The municipal code is KZN282, and the area uses South Africa Standard Time (UTC+2).
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:41 (CET).