uMfolozi Mbonambi | |
|---|---|
 Seal | |
.svg) Location inKwaZulu-Natal | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | KwaZulu-Natal |
| District | King Cetshwayo |
| Seat | KwaMbonambi |
| Wards | 15 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Cllr Xolani Bhengu[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,210 km2 (470 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[3] | |
• Total | 122,889 |
| • Density | 102/km2 (263/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup(2011) | |
| • Black African | 98.8% |
| • Coloured | 0.2% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.2% |
| • White | 0.8% |
| First languages(2011) | |
| • Zulu | 92.6% |
| • English | 2.9% |
| • Southern Ndebele | 1.5% |
| • Other | 3% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Municipal code | KZN281 |
uMfolozi Local Municipality (formerlyMbonambi Local Municipality) is alocal municipality within theKing Cetshwayo District Municipality ofKwaZulu-Natal inSouth Africa. It is situated around the town ofKwaMbonambi, to the north ofRichard's Bay, stretching from theIndian Ocean to the edge of theHluhluwe–Imfolozi Park.
It was originally namedMbonambi Local Municipality, renamed toMfolozi Local Municipality on 21 May 2009,[5] and renamed again touMfolozi Local Municipality on 12 February 2015.[6] The name "Mbonambi" refers to the Mbonambi Local Tribal Authority, which covers most of the municipal area.[7] The name Mfolozi/uMfolozi refers to theUmfolozi River which forms the northern boundary of the municipality.
The municipality was enlarged at the time of theSouth African municipal election, 2016 when part of the disbandedNtambanana Local Municipality was merged into it.[8]
The2001 census divided the municipality into the followingmain places:[9]
| Place | Code | Area (km2) | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kwambonambi Forest Reserve | 53702 | 62.25 | 222 |
| KwaMbonambi | 53701 | 2.35 | 1,894 |
| Mapelane Nature Reserve | 53703 | 52.78 | 54 |
| Mbonambi | 53704 | 86.04 | 22,984 |
| Mhlana | 53705 | 515.65 | 64,527 |
| Sokhulu | 53706 | 98.17 | 12,632 |
| Remainder of the municipality | 53707 | 391.24 | 4,623 |
The municipal council consists of thirty-five members elected bymixed-member proportional representation. Eighteen councillors are elected byfirst-past-the-post voting in eighteenwards, while the remaining seventeen are chosen fromparty lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received.
In theelection of 1 November 2021 theInkatha Freedom Party (IFP) won a narrow majority of eighteen seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the 2021 election.[10]
| Party | Ward | List | Total seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |||
| Inkatha Freedom Party | 18,884 | 48.83 | 14 | 19,572 | 50.57 | 4 | 18 | |
| African National Congress | 14,622 | 37.81 | 4 | 14,230 | 36.77 | 9 | 13 | |
| Economic Freedom Fighters | 3,223 | 8.33 | 0 | 3,359 | 8.68 | 3 | 3 | |
| Independent candidates | 632 | 1.63 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| National Freedom Party | 292 | 0.76 | 0 | 304 | 0.79 | 1 | 1 | |
| Democratic Alliance | 303 | 0.78 | 0 | 272 | 0.70 | 0 | 0 | |
| African Independent Congress | 145 | 0.37 | 0 | 375 | 0.97 | 0 | 0 | |
| Abantu Batho Congress | 170 | 0.44 | 0 | 161 | 0.42 | 0 | 0 | |
| African People's Movement | 109 | 0.28 | 0 | 125 | 0.32 | 0 | 0 | |
| African Christian Democratic Party | 100 | 0.26 | 0 | 93 | 0.24 | 0 | 0 | |
| South Africa Vuka Movement | 87 | 0.22 | 0 | 69 | 0.18 | 0 | 0 | |
| African Mantungwa Community | 53 | 0.14 | 0 | 53 | 0.14 | 0 | 0 | |
| African Transformation Movement | 23 | 0.06 | 0 | 53 | 0.14 | 0 | 0 | |
| United Christian Democratic Party | 31 | 0.08 | 0 | 34 | 0.09 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 38,674 | 100.00 | 18 | 38,700 | 100.00 | 17 | 35 | |
| Valid votes | 38,674 | 98.35 | 38,700 | 98.35 | ||||
| Invalid/blank votes | 647 | 1.65 | 648 | 1.65 | ||||
| Total votes | 39,321 | 100.00 | 39,348 | 100.00 | ||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 74,081 | 53.08 | 74,081 | 53.11 | ||||
The followingby-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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 August 2022[11] | 52801003 | Inkatha Freedom Party | Inkatha Freedom Party | ||
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