Situated just 117km south of Durban with a rapidly developing economy, Ugu offers potential investors a broad spectrum of investment opportunities – of particular interest are tourism, agriculture, telecommunications, manufacturing and property development.
Location
Ugu District Municipality is situated on KwaZulu-Natal’s subtropical South Coast. The Ugu District covers six local municipalities and 81 municipal wards and includes 39 traditional authorities.
Vision
A non-discriminatory society of healthy and empowered people living in a safe, transformed and sustainable environment, underpinned by a thriving and growing economy in which all participate and benefit fairly and equitably.
Mission
Enhancing our performance and work ethic to reach world-class standards, by placing emphasis on customer satisfaction and total quality management of all resources at our disposal.
Administration
Ugu District Municipality is governed by a council of 34 members and a fulltime exco of seven members including the speaker as an ex-officio member.
Currently the Ugu District Administration has four departments namely:
• Corporate Services
• Treasury
• Infrastructure and Economic Development
• Water Services
The office of the municipal manager oversees the strategic corporate and governance services including integrated development plans, strategy, internal audits, legal services, environmental health and mayoral and communication services.
Aside from general services the municipality has special programmes focusing on HIV and Aids, youth development, disaster management and programmes for farm workers, senior citizens, women and the disabled.
A Youth Development Unit has been established, with two youth development practitioners each responsible for coordinating youth development projects in three local municipalities.
Main business sectors
The district has economic development potential in the areas of tourism, agriculture and manufacturing (beneficiation). The fastest-growing sectors in Ugu in recent years were finance, business services and construction.
Key local economic development projects
• Forestry beneficiation programme
• Hibberdene harbour development
• Port Shepstone beachfront redevelopment
• Urban renewal of Harding, Umzinto and Ezinqoleni town centres
• Formalisation of Ezinqoleni, Dududu, Mathulini
• Co-operatives development
• Upgrading of Margate Airport
• Horse Shoe farm development
• Scottburgh beachfront redevelopment
• Harding government office precinct
• Towns greening programme
• Park Rynie Industrial Park and other industrial parks
•
St Faiths and N2 corridor development
Flagship project
Ugu Sports and Leisure Centre
The Centre was designed to become a catalyst for growth within the Ugu District as well as an essential part of the municipality’s poverty reduction programme.
The development was therefore designed to appeal to the local community, while at the same time providing suitable world-class facilities that can be cordoned off and used by both national football federations and professional clubs. Algeria chose to use the Ugu Sport and Leisure Centre as their training base for the FIFA 2010 World Cup™.
Sport has been identified by the Ugu District Municipality as a valuable community development and upliftment tool, particularly among the youth. A permanent facility located within the Centre allows for the further development of talented players by combining sports coaching and education. The Centre will also become the hub for all sporting activities within the municipal area.
Advantages of establishing a business in Ugu District
The following are considered some of the key incentives for those looking to invest in the region:
• Leasing of municipal land
• Location of the manufacturing sites relative to the major road and rail links
• Basic charges for rates and endowments
• Availability of world-class banking facilities
• Comparatively low levels of crime
• Affordable and reliable public transport systems
• Availability of labour
• Efficient telecommunication networks
• Availability of natural resources
Key facts and figures
Local municipalities covered: Hibiscus Coast,
Ezinqoleni, Umdoni, Umuziwabantu, Umzumbe and Vulamehlo
Population: approximately 710 000
Area covered: 5 866 square kilometres
Major towns: Port Shepstone, Margate, Scottburgh, Pennington
Key infrastructure:
Main road: N2 highway
Airport: Margate Airport
Harbour: Hibberdene
Contact details
Key personnel:
Cllr Sithembiso Cele, Mayor
Cllr Cynthia Mqwebu, Deputy Mayor
Cllr Mondli Chiliza, Speaker
Luvuyo Mahlaka, Municipal Manager
Tel: +27 39 688 5700
Fax: +27 39 682 1720
Email: info@ugu.gov.za
Physical address: 28 Connor Street, Port Shepstone 4240
Postal address: PO Box 33, Port Shepstone 4240
Website: www.ugu.gov.za
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