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The uMhlathuze area covers 796 sq/km incorporating Richards Bay, Empangeni, Esikhawini, Ngwelezane, Nseleni, Felixton and Vulindlela, as well as the rural areas under Amakhosi namely, Dube, Mkhwananzi, Khoza, Mbuyazi and Zungu. The population is estimated at 325 000 of which 50 percent is rural and 50 percent urban. High growth rates and exceptional development characterise this region which has a GGP of R3,7b and an average GGP growth rate of 4 percent per annum. UMhlathuze contributes 7.6 percent to the GGP of KwaZulu-Natal. The Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone is situated within this Municipality and partly owned by the City itself.

The largest production facility for the manufacture of phosphoric acid in the Southern hemisphere is located in uMhlathuze along with the single largest coal-handling facility in the world. All of South Africa’s aluminium is produced here at one of the world’s largest smelters and several of the world’s industrial giants are also situated here.

Vast fields of sugar cane and plantations of timber border uMhlathuze. This region also has South Africa’s largest and most diverse concentration of game reserves and conservation lands, as well as some of the continent’s most established wildlife sanctuaries. Two of the biggest mammals on earth – the whale and the elephant – can both be viewed near St Lucia, which also houses the largest single population of hippos in Southern Africa. The rationale for investing in the Port town is obvious – it is an ideal location for light-medium, resource-intensive industry, agro processing concerns and tourism projects.

 

 

Manufacturing is highly specialised and export-orientated, largely concentrated on basic iron and steel, paper and printing, as well as food and beverages. The sector is characterised by highly sophisticated manufacturing processes. The large-scale industrial strengths of the uMhlathuze centre comprise a varied industrial base of coal terminals and aluminium smelters, coupled with an impressive number of industries including mining companies and paper mills, forestry, production of materials handling equipment, as well as fertilizer and special chemicals production.

 

The City of uMhlathuze is rich in mineral resources, including ilmenite, rutile, zircon and pig iron. The mining of these minerals meets all of South Africa’s demand for titanium dioxide and zircon and almost all of the country’s pig iron requirements. Other natural advantages are evident in the diverse and intensifying agricultural production of the subregion, with the rich lands of sugar cane and timber having led to the development of numerous agroprocessing industries. The advent of the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone within the vicinity of the Richards Bay harbour (largest deep-water port on the African continent), is serving to boost economic activity and attract international investors wishing to take advantage of the investment incentives on offer.