List of Towns, Villages and Cities in Umgungundlovu District Municipality

uMgungundlovu District Municipality covers seven local municipalities in the KwaZulu-Natal
midlands, seated at Pietermaritzburg. The 2022 census recorded 1,235,716 residents across the
district’s roughly 9,600 km², up from 1,014,573 in 2011. Msunduzi, the metropolitan-scale
municipality built around Pietermaritzburg, holds the large majority of that population, while
the other six member municipalities remain predominantly rural and agricultural.

Local Municipalities in uMgungundlovu

Major Towns

Geography

uMgungundlovu stretches from the Drakensberg foothills at Impendle in the west to the sugar
belt approaching the coast, taking in the Midlands Meander tourism area around Howick and
Hilton and the Umkomazi valley farmland around Richmond and Mkhambathini. Pietermaritzburg,
KwaZulu-Natal’s provincial capital, anchors the district economically and administratively, with
the N3 freeway forming its economic spine from Camperdown through Pietermaritzburg to Mooi
River.

Economy and Local Life

Msunduzi (Pietermaritzburg) accounts for the majority of district population and economic
activity, driven by government administration, education and industry along the N3 corridor.
The remaining six municipalities are largely agricultural — dairy, timber, sugar cane and
vegetables — supplemented by Midlands tourism around Howick, Hilton and Nottingham Road.
Zulu is the first language of the large majority of residents across the district, with
English concentrated in Msunduzi and uMngeni. The KwaZulu-Natal Midlands Meander tourist route,
based mainly in uMngeni, is one of the province’s best-known craft and hospitality circuits and
draws visitors through several of the district’s smaller towns. All seven municipalities share
a KwaZulu-Natal Zulu-speaking majority, though Msunduzi and uMngeni carry noticeably larger
English-speaking urban populations tied to Pietermaritzburg’s history as provincial capital
and Howick and Hilton’s Midlands tourism trade.

FAQ

What is the seat of uMgungundlovu District Municipality?
Pietermaritzburg.

How many local municipalities make up uMgungundlovu?
Seven: Msunduzi, uMngeni, uMshwathi, Richmond, Mkhambathini, Mpofana and Impendle.

What is the population of uMgungundlovu District?
1,235,716 at the 2022 census, up from 1,014,573 in 2011.

Which municipality has the largest population in the district?
Msunduzi, home to Pietermaritzburg, with 817,725 residents in 2022.

Which municipality is smallest?
Mpofana has the smallest population (33,382); Msunduzi has the smallest area (751.09 km²) but
the largest population by far.