Johannes Phumani Phungula Local Municipality

The Ubuhlebezwe Local Municipality is a Category B municipality located within the Harry Gwala District in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. It is the smallest of the four municipalities in the district. The main administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Ixopo, which is located approximately 85km south-east of Pietermaritzburg, the capital of KwaZulu-Natal. It is strategically located at the intersection of four major provincial routes leading to Pietermaritzburg, the Drakensberg, the Eastern Cape and the South Coast.  The town of Ixopo forms the primary development node of the municipality and has also been selected as the seat of the Harry Gwala District Council. The importance of Ixopo cannot be underestimated in the socio-economic development of the area as a whole. Ixopo plays an important role in terms of the possible location for industry, commerce and other economic activity. It is a major education and health centre, and assists in the diffusion of new ideas and technologies to the rural areas. It is also the primary base for the operation of many departments and service providers.  In line with the KwaZulu-Natal Integrated Rural Development Policy, a number of secondary development nodes have been identified. The intention of secondary development nodes is to identify well-located settlements where government and municipal services, administrative functions, and commercial and residential development will be encouraged to locate in the future. The secondary and tertiary development nodes identified are: Highflats, Hlutankungu (previously Stuartsville), Jolivet, KwaBhidla, Emgodi and Hlokozi.