Page 62 - KZN Top Business Portfolio 2018

UGU DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY

Mayor: Cllr Mondli Chiliza
www.ugu.gov.za

GROWING OPPORTUNITY Blue Flag status is awarded to world-class beaches
for their standard of excellence in safety, water
The Ugu District Municipality consists of the following quality, environmental education and management
local municipalities: Umdoni, Umuziwabantu, Umzumbe standards.
and the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality.
The South Coast is also well-known as the country’s
The municipality, with a coastline of 112 km, is ‘Golf Coast’ boasting 11 diverse courses stretching from
characterised by unspoiled subtropical bushland and Umkomaas in the north to Wild Coast Sun in the south.
forest, lazy beaches, small rural villages, extensive
coastal sugar plantations, and major industrial The Municipality’s proactive improvement of its infra-
complexes. The modern N2 highway runs through Ugu structure, education, health and recreational facilities
parallel to the sea, passing Port Shepstone, the seat of contributes immensely to its appeal.
the district and the main commercial centre.
Concentrated Economic Hub
Other coastal towns include Pennington, Margate and
Scottburgh. The highway serves as both a link and The Ray Nkonyeni Municipality is the most concen-
gateway to the neighbouring Eastern Cape and in the trated economic hub within the Ugu District Munici-
opposite direction to Durban and Johannesburg. pality. The main features of the economy are tourism
and agriculture. Commercial agriculture in the district
Economically this district is the third largest contri- produces one-fifth of all bananas consumed in
butor to the provincial GGP. Ugu boasts numerous South Africa, with numerous companies success-
historical, religious and cultural assets and growing fully exporting these and other products including
business investment opportunities. macadamia nuts to some of the most exclusive
The South Coast has the distinction of having the packers in the United Kingdom.
most permanently managed Blue Flag beaches in The municipality’s hilly terrain contains extraordinary
Africa and its Blue Flag beaches have all retained features such as the Oribi Gorge, which has potential
their eco status, including Hibberdene; Umzumbe; as a tourist attraction. The Oribi Gorge offers
Southport; Lucien, Ramsgate, Marina and Trafalgar sporting activities not for the faint-hearted, such as
beaches.
the wild swing, rock climbing, abseiling, and many
more. Some manufacturing is centred around Port
Shepstone.
Providing Services
Umdoni Municipality’s seat is in Scottburgh, which
is located on the mid-south coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
The economy of the town is based on tourism,
commerce, industry, agriculture and government
offices. Scottburgh has a well-developed infrastructure
system, providing services to a sound commercial
sector and a middle to upper class residential
component. One of the area’s mature lifestyle estates
attracting substantial interest is Renishaw Hills, situated
on the Mpambanyoni Conservation Development just
outside Scottburgh.
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