Ndwedwe Local Municipality

Geography, History & Economy

Ndwedwe Local Municipality is part of iLembe District Municipality.

MDB code: KZN293

Description: The Ndwedwe Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located within the iLembe District in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. It lies parallel to, and approximately 20km inland from, the KwaZulu-Natal coast. It is the largest of four municipalities in the district, making up a third of its geographical area. The municipality consists mainly of poor black communities whose livelihoods depend on subsistence farming.
Located in relatively close proximity to major urban and economic developments, the area has remained substantially underdeveloped, disadvantaged and poor. External access and internal linkage are substantially limited to east-west roads, while north-south links are few and of poor quality.
Much of Ndwedwe Municipality’s detailed planning for the future depends on strategies yet to be developed for the iLembe District Municipality. However, the key short-term objectives that have been identified for Ndwedwe are strongly focused on the provision of basic infrastructure and services to a population that is at present severely lacking in these facilities.

Area: 1 079km²

Cities/Towns: Ndwedwe

Main Economic Sectors: Agriculture, tourism, services