Country South Africa Seat Port Shepstone Time zone SAST (UTC+2) Area 839 km² Black african population 82.4% Native english speakers 14.2% | District Ugu Wards 29 Municipal code KZN216 White population 10.8% Native afrikaans speakers 4.5% Province KwaZulu-Natal | |
Points of interest Oribi Gorge, Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, Mpenjati Nature Reserve, Pumlani Caravan Park, Butterfly Valley butterfly f | ||
Hibiscus Coast Local Municipality was a local municipality in South Africa. It is the economic hub of the Ugu District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The area attracts tourists from KwaZulu-Natal and other provinces as well as international tourists.
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Map of Hibiscus Coast Municipality, South Africa
After municipal elections on 3 August 2016 it was merged into the larger Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality.
Beaches of world-class quality are to be found along the entire seaboard. Hibberdene Beach, Ramsgate Beach, Marina Beach/San Lameer, and Lucien Beach have been recognized as Blue Flag beaches. The climate of the coastal areas is humid and subtropical — comparable to southern Florida in the United States, but not quite as hot and rainy in the summer.
The coastline is dotted with small towns, many of which serve as seasonal recreational hubs, such as Port Shepstone, Umtamvuna / Port Edward, Margate, Hibberdene and Impenjati / Southbroom. These towns feature a wide range of tourist-oriented businesses, including restaurants, bars, clubs, movie houses, golf courses, clothing shops, museums, and various types of accommodations. The income from these businesses has economically benefited the municipality as a whole.
Other economic activities include fishing, agriculture, crafts, and bead works.
The hilly inland regions of the municipality are largely under the ownership of tribal authorities. Such "traditional" settlements include KwaXolo, KwaNzimakwe, KwaNdwalane, KwaMadlala, KwaMavundla and KwaLushaba.
Main places
The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:
Politics
The municipal council consisted of fifty-eight members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Twenty-nine councillors were elected by first-past-the-post voting in twenty-nine wards, while the remaining twenty-nine were chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives was proportional to the number of votes received. In the election of 18 May 2011 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of forty-one seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.