| Melmoth | |
| Official Name: | eMthonjaneni |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa KwaZulu-Natal#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -28.5833°N 54°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | King Cetshwayo |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Mthonjaneni |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 13.36 |
| Elevation M: | 740 |
| Population Total: | 7814 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 71.0% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 1.4% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.8% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 23.6% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 0.1% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Zulu |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 77.5% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | English |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 4.5% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | S. Ndebele |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 2.7% |
| Demographics2 Title4: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 16.3% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 3.1% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 3835 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 3835 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 035 |
Melmoth is a small town situated in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The town was established in the Mthonjaneni district after the annexation of Zululand by the British Empire in 1887 and was named after Sir Melmoth Osborn, the resident commissioner of Zululand's "Reserve Territory".[2] Large wattle plantations were set up and a wattle bark factory was established in 1926. The district is also planted with sugar cane from the outskirts of the town and into the surrounding villages. The government-funded hospital in Melmoth is St Marys kwaMagwaza Hospital that caters for the people of Melmoth and surrounding villages.[3]
In 2017, the South African Geographical Names Council (SAGNC) made a decision to rename Melmoth to eMthonjaneni, the same name as the local municipality it is in.[4]
Vehicle registrations in Melmoth start with NO - N for Natal, O for Osborn.[5]