uMshwathi Municipality is situated within uMgungundlovu District Municipality immediately adjacent to Pietermaritzburg. uMshwathi comprises of four major urban centres (New Hanover, Wartburg, Dalton and Cool Air) as well as the rural residential settlements of Swayimane, Mpolweni, Thokozani and Ozwathini. uMshwathi covers an area of about 1 811 km².
Economic development opportunities at uMshwathi include the rehabilitation and development of the towns, middle and high-income housing projects as well as development of a road corridor linking the N2 and N3 by traversing the municipality.The importance of agriculture in uMshwathi cannot be overemphasized. Sugar cane is the predominant agricultural pursuit. Manufacturing activities are mainly related to agricultural processing activities, notably sugar and timber processing activities.read more »
uMngeni Municipality pursues the creation of an enabling environment for investment opportunities, and the marketing of the municipality to domestic and international investors. A significant percentage of the high-potential agricultural land in the Midlands Meander falls within uMngeni Municipality. This provides an opportunity for agricultural sector growth.
The forestry industry will be transformed through the establishment of community private partnerships. Small scale forestry opportunities will be created. The municipality seeks to build on the already successful tourism industry by promoting job creation in tourism, a safe and secure environment, and marketing the area as tourism destination (uMgungundlovu District Municipality IDP 2012/13).read more »
The Mpofana Municipality is strategically located along the national N3 highway and is approximately 70 km from Pietermaritzburg. The Mooi River sits at the heart of the Midlands Meander with interesting attractions such as the Linen Loft and Sharrow Weaving. Stretches of the river offer boating facilities whilst the upper reaches are a fly fisherman's paradise. Further upstream, the Mooi River Falls are a marvellous site to watch when the river is flooded.
The predominant occupation in the area is agriculture, with a wide range of agricultural products being produced. Dairy and stock farming are, however, the main farming activities (uMgungundlovu District Municipality IDP 2012/13).read more »
Impendle local Municipality is located on the south western boundary of the uMgungundlovu District, and shares a boundary with the Sisonke District to the south and the KwaSani Municipality, which includes towns such as Underberg and Himeville. To the north is the uMngeni which is closely tied to Impendle in terms of agriculture and potential tourism (Midlands Meander), and to east the Msunduzi Municipality which is the capital of the province and the economic hub of the District. To the west is District Management areas of the Drakensberg that fall under the Transfrontier Development Initiative related to the World Heritage Site. (uMgnugndlovu District Municipality IDP 2012/13).
read more »Pietermaritzburg, the second largest city in KwaZulu-Natal, falls within the boundaries of Msunduzi municipality. The city is both the administrative and legislative capital of the province, which boosts investor confidence, resulting in the city's economy growing at an astounding rate. Pietermaritzburg is more than just a favourable investment destination; it is one of South Africa's most desirable residential cities with well-laid-out suburbs (uMgungundlovu District Municipality IDP 2012/13).read more »