TheMunicipality of Bundas lies at the south-eastern corner ofMoxico Province ofAngola near the border withZambia. Its principal town isLumbala. Due to the destruction of theAngolan Civil War, it is one of the most remote municipalities in Angola and access remains a large problem despite significant progress, as many roads are still not cleared ofland mines and many bridges remain destroyed, but easily accessed by a tar road fromLuena and a gravel road from the Zambian border toN'inda and a tar road to Lumbala N'guimbo.
Lumbala N'guimbo is the administrative centre and seat of the Bundas Municipality. The Bundas comprises seven communes:Lumbala N'guimbo(seat), Lutembo(76 km), Mussuma Mitete(80 km), N'inda(84 km), Sessa(80 km), Chiume(130 km), Luvuei(150 km), and covers an extension of 43,800 km2.[1]
The population is made up predominantly of theMbunda people and former refugees who have returned to the area since the end of the Angolan Civil War. The estimated population of the whole Municipality before the war was 80,000.[2] At the end of May 2006, the population was estimated to around 45,000 and at the 2014 census, the population has increased to 69,496.[3] Most of the people fled to the neighbouring Zambia, but over the years thousands have returned. The average number of arrivals of spontaneous returnees highly increased. From October 2002 to 17 May 2006, 22,972 returnees registered in Lumbala N'guimbo.[4]
TheMunicipality of Bundas now hosts theMbunda MonarchKing Mwene Mbandu III Mbandu Lifuti after restoration on 16 August 2008. It is under the traditional authority of a Mbunda Paramount Chief Mwene Ngimbu Vukolo[citation needed], who ascribes to the Mbunda Monarch. The Mbunda prefer calling itMunicipality of Lumbala N'guimbo.
The term "Bundas" is a Portuguese term referring toMbunda.[5]
14°06′44″S21°26′07″E / 14.11222°S 21.43528°E /-14.11222; 21.43528
