One Of The World's Tourism Areas

Umkhanyakude District Municipality is situated in the north-eastern region of KwaZulu-Natal. The district extends from Mtubatuba (St Lucia) in the south to Kosi Bay in the north, across to the Lubombo Mountains in the west. The district is strategically linked to the provincial markets of KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga and to the neighbouring market of Swaziland. The district consists of the local municipalities of: Jozini, Mtubatuba, uMhlabuyalingana and Big 5 Hlabisa.

Rich and Diverse Tourism
The Big 5 Hlabisa Municipality is located in one of the world’s richest tourism areas. Renowned game and nature reserves such as St Lucia, Hluhluwe/iMfolozi and Mkuze are located here. Easily accessible off the N2 National Route, it incorporates part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and is the starting point of the Lubombo Spatial Development Initiative corridor, which links Hluhluwe to Mozambique. The town of Hluhluwe, which contains major shopping and light servicing facilities, as well as the municipal offices, services the municipality.

The Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve, located 280km north of Durban is the oldest proclaimed park in Africa. It consists of 960km² of hilly topography in central Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, and is known for its wildlife and conservation efforts. The northeastern parts of the municipality are occupied by densely settled rural traditional communities.

Natural Beauty
The Jozini Municipality borders Swaziland and Mozambique. The Lebombo Mountains and Makhatini Flats provide a beautiful terrain, which includes water features and fossil sites. Both Ndumo and Mkuze Game Reserves can be found straddling the borders of the Jozini Municipality.

Jozini town is the access point for northern Maputaland. It is a small business centre situated close to the Pongolapoort Dam, better known as the Jozini Dam, one of the largest in South Africa. This dam is designed to irrigate more than 80 000 hectares of agricultural land supporting sugar cane, rice, coffee, cotton, fibre crops and various subtropical fruits.

The dam draws its water from the Pongolo River, which is the principal river of Maputaland. The Pongola River, in its path to the sea, has given birth to a series of oxbow lakes and pans. Supporting a massive population of fish, crocodiles and hippos, as well as the people of the area, it is an integral part of the economy of the region.

Tourism has been prioritised as the major economic development opportunity and its success is dependent on local community initiatives.

Administrative Centre
Mtubatuba Municipality is situated along the northern coastal belt of KwaZulu-Natal and is the most urbanised local municipality. Mtubatuba town and St Lucia are the main towns within the district. Mtubatuba town is a strong sub regional commercial, service, transport and administrative centre for the entire north eastern Zululand region. In the past few years there has been substantial commercial growth in Mtubatuba with retail and wholesale outlets opening.

The town is ideally located as a base from which to explore the rich culture of the Zulu nation and world-renowned game reserves.

District Management Area
The Umhlabuyalingana Municipality consists of several District Management Areas that fall under the municipal jurisdiction of the district as well as the urban settlements of Manguzi, Mbazwana, Mseleni, Sikhamelele and Mboza. Umhlabuyalingana.

Tourism is increasingly making a greater contribution to the local economy. The entire coastal strip is a district management area that is administered by the greater iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority.