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District Municipality. Significant economic centres in the district are
Empangeni and Richards Bay, the latter being the largest deepwater port in
South Africa. According to the report, these two economic centres have
become a prime attraction for large-scale industrialization in the district and
have resulted in Richards Bay becoming the fastest growing urban centre in
South Africa. The report further reports that the manufacturing industry
contributes significantly to the economy of the uThungulu district, and is
closely followed by the transport sector and agriculture. The most important
sectors are sugarcane and timber. and a good part of the tourism industry.
There is a growing demand for Zulu handcrafts and cultural artifacts both
locally and internationally.
Similarly, UThungulu District Municipality (2003), reports that in 1997, the
Uthungulu region had an estimated urban population of 188,594 and a rural
population of 1,068345. The report indicates that the largest proportion of
the population lives in the former KwaZulu Natal districts, which are largely
rural and characterized by poverty and low levels of service. The largest
concentration of the population occurs in the southern magisterial districts,
including Mtubatuba, Hlabisa, Richards Bay and Empangeni/Ngwelezana. The
redrawing of municipal boundaries in 2000 has since split the Uthungulu
region into two districts, namely Uthungulu and Umkhanyakude.
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