Umzimkhulu

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Umzimkhulu

| pushpin_map = South Africa KwaZulu-Natal#South Africa

| coordinates = {{coord|30.263|S|29.940|E|region:ZA|display=inline,title}}

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = South Africa

| subdivision_type1 = Province

| subdivision_name1 = KwaZulu-Natal

| subdivision_type2 = District

| subdivision_name2 = Harry Gwala

| subdivision_type3 = Municipality

| subdivision_name3 = Umzimkhulu

| subdivision_type4 = Main Place

| established_title = Established

| leader_party = ANC

| leader_title = Councillor

| area_footnotes = {{cite web |url=http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/598114 |title = Main Place Umzimkhulu |work=Census 2011}}

| area_total_km2 = 4.55

| population_footnotes =

| population_total = 8399

| population_as_of = 2011

| population_density_km2 = auto

| demographics_type1 = Racial makeup (2011)

| demographics1_footnotes =

| demographics1_title1 = Black African

| demographics1_info1 = 95.1%

| demographics1_title2 = Coloured

| demographics1_info2 = 3.5%

| demographics1_title3 = Indian/Asian

| demographics1_info3 = 0.5%

| demographics1_title4 = White

| demographics1_info4 =

| demographics1_title5 = Other

| demographics1_info5 = 0.9%

| demographics_type2 = First languages (2011)

| demographics2_footnotes =

| demographics2_title1 = Zulu

| demographics2_info1 = 47.2%

| demographics2_title2 = Xhosa

| demographics2_info2 = 41.5%

| demographics2_title3 = English

| demographics2_info3 = 5.5%

| demographics2_title4 = Afrikaans

| demographics2_info4 = 1.3%

| demographics2_title5 = Other

| demographics2_info5 = 4.5%

| timezone1 = SAST

| utc_offset1 = +2

| postal_code_type = Postal code (street)

| postal_code = 3297

| postal2_code_type = PO box

| postal2_code = 3297

| area_code_type = Area code

| area_code = 039

}}

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

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.{{cite web|title=Dictionary of Southern African Place Names (Public Domain)|url=https://archive.org/details/DictionaryOfSouthernAfricanPlaceNames|publisher=Human Science Research Council|page=445}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.isolezwe.co.za/izindaba/babalelwa-ku-50-abangqongqe-nesitolo-c44edb76-732c-486c-b08a-ab6a26607337|title=Babalelwa ku-50 abangqongqe nesitolo}}