Hlabisa is an administrative area in the Umkhanyakude District

Umkhanyakude District Municipality

Umkhanyakude, named after the famous yellow-barked fever tree, literally meaning “seen from afar”, is the northernmost district in KwaZulu-Natal and contains many areas of outstanding natural beauty such as the St Lucia greater wetland park, Sodwana Bay and Kosi Bay. Game parks include...

 of KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....

 in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. Hlabisa is an isiZulu

Zulu language

Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...

 surname of the two nkosis (kings) in the area. The municipality is situated within the vicinity of four Tribal Authorities which are the Mkhwanazi Tribal Authority, the Mdletshe Tribal Authority, and two Hlabisa Tribal Authorities.

The municipality is generally characterised by isolated rural communities with high levels of poverty. The most significant land use is subsistence agriculture and dispersed settlements, plantations and agriculture are found throughout the municipality. The major draw card of Hlabisa is the tourism industry centred on the adjacent game reserve

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve, located 280 km north of Durban, is the oldest proclaimed park in Africa. It consists of 960 km² of hilly topography in central Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and is known for its rich wildlife and conservation efforts. The park is the only...

.