| Umtshezi | |
| Settlement Type: | Local municipality |
| Seal Size: | 150x100px |
| Map Alt: | Location in KwaZulu-Natal |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | uThukela |
| Seat: | Estcourt |
| Parts Type: | Wards |
| Parts: | 9 |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] |
| Government Type: | Municipal council |
| Leader Party: | African National Congress |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Bongani Dlamini |
| Leader Title1: | His Worship, Honourable |
| Area Total Km2: | 1972 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 83153 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 90.2% |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 1.4% |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 5.8% |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 2.3% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages |
| Demographics2 Footnotes: | [3] |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 84.7% |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 10.7% |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 1.2% |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 1.1% |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 2.3% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Municipal code |
| Blank Info Sec1: | KZN234 |
Umtshezi Local Municipality was an administrative area in the Uthukela District of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. uMtshezi is an isiZulu name word for Bushman or San. The name uMtshezi refers to the Bushman River.[4] After municipal elections on 3 August 2016, it was merged into the larger Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality.
The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[5]
| Place | Code | Area (km2) | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51601 | 14.47 | 13,958 | ||
| Khwezi | 51602 | 14.45 | 2,978 | |
| 51603 | 0.99 | 2,702 | ||
| 51605 | 2.24 | 1,157 | ||
| 51606 | 18.29 | 17,497 | ||
| Remainder of the municipality | 51604 | 2,079.51 | 21,630 |
The municipal council consisted of seventeen members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Nine councillors were elected by first-past-the-post voting in nine wards, while the remaining eight 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 no party obtained a majority; the African National Congress won eight seats, the Inkatha Freedom Party five, and the National Freedom Party three. The following table shows the results of the election.[6] [7]
| Party | Votes | Seats | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ward | List | Total | % | Ward | List | Total | ||
| 10,945 | 11,027 | 21,972 | 46.2 | 6 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 6,196 | 6,191 | 12,387 | 26.1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 4,633 | 4,610 | 9,243 | 19.4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 1,831 | 1,801 | 3,632 | 7.6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 159 | 138 | 297 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 23,764 | 23,767 | 47,531 | 100.0 | 9 | 8 | 17 | |
| Spoilt votes | 385 | 341 | 726 | |||||