iLembe District Municipality is situated on the east coast of South Africa, in the KwaZulu-Natal Province.

iLembe is one of the 11 district municipalities of the KwaZulu-Natal province and is also the smallest District Municipality in the province, with a total population of approximately 606 000. The District Municipality covers approximately 3 260 square kilometres and is divided into four local municipalities.

• KwaDukuza Local Municipality
• Ndwedwe Local Municipality
• Mandeni Local Municipality
• Maphumulo Local Municipality

Tel: 032 437 9300

KwaDukuza Municipal area of jurisdiction is estimated at 734.971km². The municipal area stretches from the Zinkwazi River in the north to the UThongathi River in the South. It borders with four Municipalities via; Ndwedwe, Maphumulo and Mandeni local municipalities, and the eThekwini metropolitan. KwaDukuza functions as a district node and is the dominant commercial centre in the iLembe District. KwaDukuza derives its name from the historical background of the area being home to King Shaka Gravesite and Memorial. The town is built on the original site of King Shaka‘s Royal settlement called Dukuza. The settlement patterns show that the urban development is primarily located in the formally established towns of;

KwaDukuza,
Shaka‘s Kraal,
Ballito,
uMhlali,
Blythedale Beach,
Tinley Manor,
Zinkwazi and portions of Groutville.

Peri-urban to semi-rural settlements occur throughout much of the centre of the municipality, and these extend from the northern boundary via KwaDukuza, Groutville and uMhlali to the southern edge bordering eThekwini. The vision of KwaDukuza is stated: “By 2030, KwaDukuza shall be a vibrant city competing in the global village economically, socially, politically and in a sustainable manner’’.

Tel: 032 437 5000

Ndwedwe Local Municipality borders with the KwaDukuza Local Municipality in the east and Maphumulo Local Municipality in the north. In the south Ndwedwe abuts the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and in the west the uMshwathi Local Municipality. Broadly, the municipality is situated parallel with and approximately 20 km inland from the KwaZulu Natal coast. While much of the north – eastern part of Ndwedwe forms part of the coastal flats mostly covered by KwaDukuza, the majority of the area consists of tribal authority land. The key features that define Ndwedwe are the opportunities that have emerged at various levels. The following opportunities have been identified through numerous studies that have been conducted on the area:

• Business cluster developments (manufacturing warehouses and distribution)
• Business Parks
• Agro-processing plant for processed food and semi-perishables
• Agricultural distribution warehouses and
• Housing Estates at Mona Area (10km radius of Dube Trade Port) and at Ndwedwe Village

In addition to the above the Ndwedwe Town Development offers new great opportunities for residential, commercial, and other services while unique tourism attractions exist related to Zulu Rural Cultural Trail with the area also commanding high agricultural potential.

Tel: 032 532 5000

The Mandeni Local Municipality of iLembe District is located along the northern coast of KwaZulu-Natal, approximately 50km north of the eThekwini Metropolitan and south of the uMhlatuze Local Municipality. It lies along the N2 National and Provincial corridor, as well as the north-south rail link connecting the economic hubs of Durban and Richards Bay. As such, the municipality is strategically located to provide services and derive economic benefits from these economic powerhouses. Mandeni Town and the associated Sundumbili Township are the only major urban centres in Mandeni Municipality. The Isithebe industrial estate located in Mandeni has grown into an established manufacturing hub offering cost-effective production space with import and export facilities linked to the Durban and Richards Bay ports. The SAPPI Tugela Mill and the Isithebe Industrial Estate (Isithebe) provide opportunities to grow and attract large scale manufacturing and heavy industry to Mandeni Municipality.

Isithebe is well established and provides a solid operating environment midway between the important import and export facilities offered by Durban and Richards Bay. It is well positioned to participate in the momentum around a multi-modal logistics platform for the Durban-Richards Bay corridor.

Tel: 032 456 8200

Maphumulo Local Municipality is bounded to the north by Tugela River and extends approximately 30 km to its southern boundary with Ndwedwe Local Municipality. It is situated on the R74 road from KwaDukuza to Kranskop and it is linked to Ndwedwe through the P711 road. The primary administrative centre of the Municipality is the town of Maphumulo which is located approximately 38 km north-west of KwaDukuza Municipality. A number of opportunities exist in Maphumulo and these can be summarised as:

• Land availability and favourable soil and climatic conditions for agricultural production,
• Close proximity to Dube Trade Port and the installation of a big water pipe by Umgeni Water.
• The construction of the P711 road that will unlock economic opportunities within the local municipality.
• ESKOM manages projects that are currently under construction in Maphumulo with 2582 total connections expected at a total cost of R51 million.

Though Maphumulo is predominantly rural, it has a vision of ‘being a catalyst for a sustainable socio- economic development for a better life for all’ in the local area.

Tel: 032 481 4544