| Umzimkhulu | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa KwaZulu-Natal#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -30.263°N 29.94°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Harry Gwala |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Umzimkhulu |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Party: | ANC |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 4.55 |
| Population Total: | 8399 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 95.1% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 3.5% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.5% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 0.9% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Zulu |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 47.2% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Xhosa |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 41.5% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | English |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 5.5% |
| Demographics2 Title4: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 1.3% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 4.5% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 3297 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 3297 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 039 |
Umzimkhulu is a town in Harry Gwala District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.
The town lies 243 km north-east of Mthatha, 18 km south-west of Ixopo, and 108 km south south-west of Pietermaritzburg, the provincial capital. It developed from a trading-post and was laid out in 1884. Takes its name from the Mzimkulu River on which it is situated; Zulu and Xhosa for 'big place', 'large home' of the waters.[2]
Until 1 March 2006, the town was part of an exclave of the Eastern Cape, before being transferred to KwaZulu-Natal as part of the Twelfth Amendment of the Constitution of South Africa.
During the KwaZulu-Natal riots of July, 2021, more than 50 people died in a furniture store in the town that was set alight while looters were robbing it.[3]