Page 74 - KZN Top Business Portfolio 2018

ZULULAND DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY

Mayor: Cllr M E Buthelezi
www.zululand.org.za

AN UNHURRIED LIFESTYLE Bay, accessibility to the rest of South Africa by rail,
road and air, a good local infrastructure, excellent
Zululand District Municipality, with its green hills of primary, secondary and tertiary educational facilities
rich soil, waving grasslands, abundant forests, and and good hotel and conference facilities.
an unhurried lifestyle, borders on the Kingdom of
Swaziland, a trading partner of South Africa. The major Ulundi lies at the hub of the old Zulu Kingdom and
towns of Vryheid and Ulundi are both well located the sector is considered to be hugely underdeveloped
in relation to the national road and rail networks. with many of the cultural resources not being
Route P700 between Ulundi and Richards Bay is a capitalised on. The tourism attractions include game
development corridor that will facilitate eco-tourism, reserves, historical and cultural sites, cultural events
agricultural activities and business opportunities. and guest lodges. Historical and cultural sites include
The district’s local municipalities comprise èDumbe, Nodwengu (King Mpande’s residence and grave),
uPhongolo, AbaQulusi, Nongoma and Ulundi. Ulundi Battlefield, and Piet Retief’s grave.
Approximately half of the area is under the jurisdiction The KwaZulu Cultural Museum houses interesting
of traditional authorities, while the remainder is displays relating to Zulu history and archaeology. The
divided between commercially owned farms and beehive huts and the layout of the original Zulu village
conservation areas. have been reproduced.
Zululand’s rich diversity of wildlife attracts many The eMakhosini Conservancy (Valley of the Zulu
tourists, both international and local. The Hluhluwe- Kings), birthplace of King Shaka, is the venue for a
Umfolozi Park, the largest reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, is new tourism and economic development project,
a popular destination for big five sightings, and its rhino which includes several historical sites. The joint public-
conservation programme is well known. The Ithala private sector project aims to preserve the culture and
Game Reserve offers an extraordinary experience of history of the Zulu people.
geological diversity as the rock formations found here
date back 3 000 million years. Zululand is also home Home of King Zwelithini
to the second oldest reserve in the world, the Pongola Nongoma Municipality is the second largest
Game Reserve.
municipality in terms of population and the second
largest in terms of area. It shares its name with the
Substantial Agriculture
town of Nongoma, the seat of the municipality. The
Approximately half the Ulundi Municipal area municipality is the home of King Goodwill Zwelithini,
consists of commercial farms and the area supports the hereditary traditional leader of the Zulu nation,
a substantial agricultural community. Ulundi town and his royal palaces are among the main tourist
represents the only urban area in the municipal area attractions in the region.
and therefore plays an important role in the provision
of social and economic facilities to the total population Forestry and Agriculture
of Ulundi.
èDumbe Municipality is situated in the north western
The city lists as positive investment potential, a large part of KwaZulu-Natal. Only 23% of the municipality’s
and stable labour force, stable political environment, population live in an urban area while 77% live in
low crime rate, competitive land prices and service the rural hinterland of the municipality. Most rural
charges, accessibility to export markets via Richards settlements developed organically and are unplanned,
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