Umzimkhulu

Umzimkhulu is a town in Harry Gwala District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.

Umzimkhulu
Umzimkhulu Show map of KwaZulu-Natal Umzimkhulu Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 30.263°S 29.940°E / -30.263; 29.940
Country	South Africa
Province	KwaZulu-Natal
District	Harry Gwala
Municipality	Umzimkhulu
• Councillor	(ANC)
Area [1]
• Total	4.55 km2 (1.76 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	8,399
• Density	1,800/km2 (4,800/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	95.1%
• Coloured	3.5%
• Indian/Asian	0.5%
• Other	0.9%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Zulu	47.2%
• Xhosa	41.5%
• English	5.5%
• Afrikaans	1.3%
• Other	4.5%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	3297
PO box	3297
Area code	039

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]