Maphumulo Local Municipality (KZN294)

Geography, History & Economy

Maphumulo Local Municipality is part of iLembe District Municipality.

MDB code: KZN294

Description: The Maphumulo Local Municipality is a Category B municipality in the iLembe District of KwaZulu-Natal. It is one of the four municipalities in the district, making up almost a third of its geographical area. Maphumulo is an isiZulu name meaning ‘place of rest’. 
 The municipality is predominantly rural, mostly comprising tribal land, which is administered by the Ingonyama Trust on behalf of local communities. Sugar cane cultivation is the predominant economic activity and land use in the municipality. Subsistence agricultural activities in the form of small cropping areas attached to traditional family units dominate land usage. 
 The R74 Main Road provides access from KwaDukuza to the hinterland and then leads on to Kranskop and Greytown. The linkage to the N2 is vital as it provides for migrant labour transport, and access to commercial and employment markets in the Durban Metro and to the Tongaat/Maidstone, the Dolphin Coast, KwaDukuza, Darnall and Isithebe areas.

Area: 896km²

Main Economic Sectors: Government services, agriculture