uThukela District Municipality

The Soul of the Zulu Kingdom

uThukela District Municipality, the soul of the Zulu kingdom, is a region that has an abundance of natural resources and opportunities.

uThukela is highly accessible and linked to both the provincial and national economic centres by well-established provincial and national road networks. The N3 and N11 make uThukela an important entry point to the Province. The R74 is an alternative route from the Free State, and is an important tourist route linking the Drakensberg with the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal.

uThukela has a strong district council that has performed an important developmental and administrative role in the region. The District is faced with challenges of low revenue base, poor infrastructure, limited access to services, high levels of poverty and unemployment, a skills shortage and low levels of education. Two municipalities in the uThukela District Municipality, namely Indaka and Okhahlamba local municipalities were identified for infrastructural development under Project Consolidate. Both local municipalities had high levels of backlogs in water, sanitation, electricity, refuse and housing. However, investment into infrastructure and services such as water, sports fields, community halls, roads and crèches has benefited many rural communities.

Economy

The key economic sectors within uThukela include agriculture, manufacturing and tourism, while freight and logistics are a growing sector.

Agriculture

The municipal area is generally characterized by good potential agricultural land. The commercial farming sector is dominated by forestry plantations, and field crops including maize, dry beans and potatoes. The extensive livestock production focuses primarily on beef, dairy and sheep.

Prospective agricultural projects include: Deciduous, berry and citrus fruit plantations, Large-scale production of vegetables, sunflowers and peanuts, Aloe and Berg Tea Project, poultry farming, goat farming, bee keeping and game farms.

Services Sector

Ladysmith, a thriving, friendly town on the banks of the Klip River, is the major service and retail centre for the region. Ladysmith is centrally located with respect to important corridor development and transport routes in the region, which increases the economic opportunities in and around the town. Due to this location the establishment of an Inland Cargo Terminal Container Handling Facility, Intermodal Exchange Point, Refuelling Depot, Warehousing, Storage, Clearing and Forwarding facilities have been proposed.

Manufacturing

The textile, clothing, footwear and leather industries have historically been the mainstay of the regional economy, with food, beverages and tobacco being other significant manufacturing subsectors. In line with several other projects initiated to strengthen KwaZulu-Natal’s food processing activity, the setting up of a Pecan Nut Estate and Processing Facility in Ladysmith is underway.

There are other opportunities which need to be explored further. Ladysmith offers several industrial areas, the largest being the Ithala Industrial Estate located a short distance from the Central Business District.

uMtshezi, adjacent to theN3 national highway, and on the Johannesburg - Durban electrified main railway line, occupies the ideal spot for any manufacturing industry. uMtshezi has a highly efficient, reliable and cost effective electrical infrastructure, which supplies its large industries with all the power they need to run their plants. An abundance of water, from the nearby Wagendrift Dam, ensures that the industrialists are suitably served at reasonable costs.

Estcourt is well known for some of its industries such as:

The Eskort Bacon Factory which produces sausages and other meat products known throughout many parts of the world;
Nestle, the largest factory of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere; and
Masonite producing hardboard, softboard and related timber products.

Other industries include glassware, nylon goods, maize products, and textiles.

Tourism

uThukela with its scenic Ukhahlamba Drakensberg mountains and historic battlefields is one of South Africa’s prime tourist destinations. Annually, approximately half a million tourists are attracted to the Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site from as far afield as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Holland and North America, as well as domestic tourists primarily from Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

Winterton is situated in the foothills of the Drakensberg and is the main access point to the Central Drakensberg. Of late the town has become a tourist attraction offering everything from accommodation to adventure activities in the Drakensberg region. The Royal Natal National Park and the Rugged Glen Nature Reserve boast one of South Africa’s most beautiful mountain landscapes, which includes the magnificent peaks of Mont-Aux-Sources. The awesome pinnacle is 3 283 m high and the flat summit can be reached by means of a chain ladder. The Tugela Falls, which is the world’s second tallest waterfall is also located in the uThukela region.

Cathkin Park is in the heart of the Drakensberg’s Champagne Valley and contains a number of fine hotels, restaurants and golf courses. Between Bergville and the Royal Natal National Park is the Zulu handicraft centre of Thandanani that sells a variety of traditional beadwork, woodwork and baskets.

Van Reenen is situated on the border between KwaZulu-Natal and the Orange Free State on the main N3 highway. The little village is famous for having the Llandaff Oratory, the smallest church in the world - capable of a full house of 8 people.

The scenic 980 ha Wagendrift Nature Reserve surrounds the Wagendrift Dam. Boating and fishing are the primary activities around the dam, and a relaxed three kilometre self-guided trail winds along the Bushman’s River providing the opportunity to observe the wildlife and bird life of the reserve. The Bushman’s River is well suited to the development of eco-adventure tourism.

The Weenen Game Reserve is a KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Services Park that forms the core of the Thukela Biosphere. Consisting of some 100 000 hectares of valley bushveld, the Thukela Biosphere is a unique concept that promotes conservation and community upliftment, through the sustainable utilization of the area’s natural resources.

Investment Opportunities

Uthukela has a number of project proposals available for investment opportunities.

These include:

The MnweniValley Cableway,
Umsuluzi Game Park,
Weenen Cultural Theme Park,
The Zulu Gateway,
The development of theWoodstock Dam adventure resort,
The Cannibal Route,
DinosaurValley,
A Music Academy in Ladysmith where Ladysmith Black Mambazo will give regular performances, and
A 30 000 Spectator Sport Stadium with a call centre, apartments, a hotel suited for sports needs and a shopping mall.

Uthukela is well on its way to reach its vision of providing an improved quality of life for all in a globally interconnected, stable and developed region.