Emalahleni Local Municipality is situated in the Mpumalanga province within the jurisdiction of the Nkangala District Municipality (NDM) . Emalahleni Municipality is one of six local municipalities in the NDM and is situated in the west of the Nkangala District. It forms part of the western regions of the Mpumalanga province and borders onto the Gauteng province. The Thembisile Hani Municipality and Victor Khanye Municipality (Delmas Municipality) in the Nkangala District, and City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, border the Emalahleni Municipality to the north and west. The Steve Tshwete Municipality (Middelburg Municipality) is located to the east and the Gert Sibande District Municipality borders Emalahleni to the south. The Emalahleni Municipality is strategically located in terms of the provincial context and transport network. It is situated in close proximity to the City of Johannesburg, City of Tshwane and Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipalities in Gauteng, and..

Victor Khanye Local Municipality is strategically located in the Highveld in Mpumalanga province on the border line of Gauteng province, less than 100km from Pretoria, Johannesburg and Emalahleni. The municipality is linked by a major freeway, the N12, that was declared a Maputo Corridor. There is a railway line running through to the inner Mpumalanga province and to Mozambique. The municipality is regarded as a gateway to inner Mpumalanga province.

Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality is situated within the Sekhukhune District Municipality in the Limpopo province. The name is derived from the liberation name given to those who supported the anti-apartheid struggle in Sekhukhuneland in the 1950s. Makhuduthamaga raged a war against the white commissioner and his assailants, Marentsara.