Abaqulusi Local Municipality

Last updated

Abaqulusi
Local municipality
Map of KwaZulu-Natal with Abaqulusi highlighted.svg
Location of Abaqulusi Local Municipality within KwaZulu-Natal
Coordinates: 27°46′S30°48′E / 27.767°S 30.800°E / -27.767; 30.800
Country South Africa
Province KwaZulu-Natal
District Zululand
Seat Vryheid
Wards 22
Government
[1]
 • Type Municipal council
 • MayorMncedisi Cyril Maphisa (IFP)
Area
 • Total4,185 km2 (1,616 sq mi)
Population
 (2011) [2]
 • Total211,060
 • Density50/km2 (130/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[2]
 •  Black African 95.4%
 •  Coloured 0.5%
 •  Indian/Asian 0.4%
 •  White 3.5%
First languages (2011)
[3]
 •  Zulu 91.2%
 •  Afrikaans 3.0%
 •  English 2.5%
 •  Southern Ndebele 1.0%
 • Other2.3%
Time zone UTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal codeKZN263

Abaqulusi Municipality (Zulu : UMasipala wabaQulusi) is a local municipality within Zululand District Municipality, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is named after the abaQulusi, a Zulu clan whose descendants live in the vicinities of Vryheid, Utrecht, Paulpietersburg and Louwsburg. They hailed from different origins but were unified by their allegiance to local Zulu royal homesteads. [4]

Contents

Towns and settlements

63% of the population of the AbaQulusi municipal area live in rural areas, most of which live in scattered homesteads known as imizi in tribal areas. Homesteads are of a mixed nature, including both modern dwellings and traditional thatched huts. The remainder of the population lives as tenants on farm or in towns, dormitory townships and shacks in the settlements around towns.

Vryheid is Zululand's main commercial, industrial and business centre, with a reasonably well-developed physical, social and institutional infrastructure. It is located at the intersection of the major transport routes (R34 and R69) that traverse the region.

Other towns and settlements within the municipal boundaries include: Alpha, Calvert, Emondlo, Esigodini, Gluckstadt, Hlobane, Kandaspunt, Lenjanedrif, Louwsburg, Ngobeni, Ngome, Scheepersnek, Steilrand, Stilwater, Swart Umfolozi, Thakazele, and Zungwini. [5]

The main nodal points of the AbaQulusi Municipal area are: [6]

Economy

Currently the agricultural sector provides the highest proportion of the Gross Geographic Product (GGP) of the AbaQulusi area, even though the area is classified as having low agricultural potential. According to a land potential analysis of the area, only 15% of agricultural land can be described as having high agricultural potential. There is extensive, but not intensive agriculture. Very few farms are irrigated. [6]

Products produced are timber, field crops and livestock. Current products farmed include maize, groundnuts, soya beans, sunflowers, fruits and sorghum.

Coal mining historically provided a major force in the local economy of Northern KwaZulu Natal. However, over the past 15 years a number of mines in the area ceased operation, negatively impacting the regional economy. The AbaQulusi Municipality was particularly affected by the closure of the Coronation, Mnyathi, and Hlobane mines in 1997 and 1998. Recently, the coal mining sector seems to have regained some momentum and it is coming back to dominate the economic sector. [6]

Manufacturing in the municipal area includes food and beverages, clothing and textiles, leather products, paper and paper products, printing and publishing, metal products, machinery and equipment.

Wetlands of national importance abound in the district, with Blood River Vlei being the most important. Over 370 species of birds and many animals, reptiles, insects, amphibians and plants can be seen here, creating a significant potential for ecotourism in the area.

Politics

The municipal council consists of forty-five members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Twenty-three councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in twenty-three wards, while the remaining twenty-two 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 no party obtained a majority. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) obtained a plurality of twenty-one seats. The following table shows the results of the election. [7]

PartyWardListTotal
seats
Votes%SeatsVotes%Seats
Inkatha Freedom Party 19,92144.071821,17546.62321
African National Congress 13,99130.95414,19331.251014
National Freedom Party 3,4387.6103,4227.5344
Economic Freedom Fighters 2,3025.0902,4565.4133
Democratic Alliance 2,2324.9412,3615.2012
Independent candidates 1,5003.3200
Freedom Front Plus 5731.2705521.2211
9 other parties1,2492.7601,2572.7700
Total45,206100.002345,416100.002245
Valid votes45,20698.5845,41698.67
Invalid/blank votes6501.426101.33
Total votes45,856100.0046,026100.00
Registered voters/turnout96,71947.4196,71947.59

Challenges

The number of individuals infected with HIV/AIDS continues to be a major challenge. HIV/AIDS infections in Abaqulusi grew from 3.97% in 1995 to 19% in 2007. There was a substantial increase (49.89%) in deaths that were due to HIV/AIDS between 1995 and 2007. In 1995, 160 deaths were due to HIV/AIDS and in 2007 there were 2383 HIV/AIDS deaths. Thus in 2007, 41.13% of all reported deaths were due to HIV/AIDS (Abaqulusi Municipality LED Sector Plan, 2009). The HIV and AIDS prevalence rate for the KwaZulu-Natal province as a whole is estimated at 39%. [8] As a result, without proper nutrition, health care and medicine that is available in developed countries, large numbers of people suffer and die from AIDS-related complications. In some areas, the epidemic has left behind many orphans cared for by elderly grandparents. HIV/AIDS also severely retards economic growth by destroying human capital. [9]

Education levels in the area are very low, with 22% of the population having no formal education. 60.15% of the population has some form of primary or secondary education, but only 2.54% have had any further education. Consequently, one of the key challenges facing AbaQulusi Municipality is a relatively high rate of functional illiteracy. This has a significant impact on employability, the type of job opportunities that can be sought and the vocational distribution of the economically active population. The urban centres within AbaQulusi present a slightly better picture with regard to education levels, but generally the skills base remains low. [6]

Main places

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places: [10]

PlaceCodeArea (km2)Population
Bhekuzulu 52902 3.6720,336
Coronation 52903 3.022,430
eMondlo 52904 5.7822,085
Enyati Anthracide Mine 52905 2.60879
Hlahlindlela 52906 265.1359,601
Hlobane 52907 24.176,042
Kandas Prison 52908 1.081,860
Khambi 52909 194.231,693
Louwsburg 52910 12.703,117
Ndebele 52911 4.49516
Ngotshe 52912 183.771,433
Vryheid 52913 16.7415,021
Vulindlela 52914 16.122,366
Zulu/Khambi 52915 60.706,261
Remainder of the municipality 52901 3,389.4547,386

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References

  1. ↑ "Contact list: Executive Mayors". Government Communication & Information System. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Statistics by place". Statistics South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. ↑ Khumalo, Dr. Ben F. "abaQulusi of ebaQulusini" (PDF). Rulpsa. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "KwaZulu-Natal Top Business | AbaQulusi Municipality". Archived from the original on 20 September 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2009.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Integrated Development Plan Review 2009/2010 — May 2009. Archived 26 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Abaqulusi Municipality. Retrieved on 10 October 2009.
  7. ↑ "Election Result Table for LGE2021 — Abaqulusi". wikitable.frith.dev. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  8. ↑ Dugger, Celia W. (19 July 2009). "South Africa Is Seen to Lag in H.I.V. Fight". New York Times. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
  9. ↑ Bell C, Devarajan S, Gersbach H (2003). "The long-run economic costs of AIDS: theory and an application to South Africa" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2008. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 3152.
  10. ↑ Lookup Tables – Statistics South Africa [ permanent dead link ]
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