eDumbe Local Municipality is an administrative area in the Zululand District of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The municipality is named after the Dumbe mountain. Only 23% of the municipality’s population live in an urban area while 77% live in the rural hinterland of the municipality. This factor has severe implications on actual service delivery and the cost thereof. Most settlements developed organically and are unplanned, lack basic services and facilities and provide limited opportunities for economic development. [

uPhongolo Local Municipality, is a local municipality in the northern area of Zululand, in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. In 2007, the uPhongolo Municipality contained 154 rural shops, 124 schools, 27 hotels, resorts or conference facilities, 15 clinics, 12 recreational facilities, 6 community halls, 4 post offices, 2 police stations, and 2 law courts. The municipality is largely composed of traditional areas, with tribal land patterns and high density rural settlements. 82% of the population lives in rural areas.

Nongoma Local Municipality is a local municipality in the northeastern part of Zululand in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is Zululand’s second largest municipality in terms of population and the second largest in terms of area. It shares its name with the town of Nongoma, which serves as the seat of the municipality. It is the home of King Goodwill Zwelethini, the hereditary traditional leader of the Zulu nation, and his royal palaces are among the main tourist attractions in the region. Nongoma is predominantly a rural municipality. It encompasses 363 settlements, only one of which (Nongoma) has some urban characteristics. 98. 34% of the population lives in rural areas. The level of education is low. Only 33% of the population have a primary education; only 5. 3% have an education to Grade 12