Hibiscus Coast
Former local municipality
Seal
Location of Hibiscus Coast Local Municipality within KwaZulu-Natal
Coordinates: 30°45′S 30°23′E / 30.750°S 30.383°E / -30.750; 30.383
Country	South Africa
Province	KwaZulu-Natal
District	Ugu
Seat	Port Shepstone
Wards	29
Government [1]
• Type	Municipal council
• Mayor	Cynthia Mqwebu
Area
• Total	839 km2 (324 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[2]
• Total	256,135
• Density	310/km2 (790/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [2]
• Black African	82.4%
• Coloured	1.4%
• Indian/Asian	5.1%
• White	10.8%
First languages (2011) [2]
• Zulu	70.7%
• English	14.2%
• Xhosa	7.7%
• Afrikaans	4.5%
• Other	2.9%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal code	KZN216

Hibiscus Coast Local Municipality was a local municipality in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It governed the Hibiscus Coast on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast which attracts tourists from the province and other provinces as well as international tourists.

After municipal elections on 3 August 2016 it was merged into the larger Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality.

Beaches are to be found along the entire seaboard. Hibberdene Beach, Ramsgate Beach, Marina Beach/San Lameer, and Lucien Beach have been recognized as Blue Flag beaches.^[3] The climate of the coastal areas is humid and subtropical — comparable to southern Florida in the United States, but not quite as hot and rainy in the summer.

The coastline is dotted with small towns, many of which serve as seasonal recreational hubs, such as Port Shepstone, Umtamvuna / Port Edward, Margate, Hibberdene and Impenjati / Southbroom. These towns feature a wide range of tourist-oriented businesses, including restaurants, bars, clubs, movie houses, golf courses, clothing shops, museums, and various types of accommodations. The income from these businesses has economically benefited the municipality as a whole.^[4]

Other economic activities include fishing, agriculture, crafts, and bead works.

The hilly inland regions of the municipality are largely under the ownership of tribal authorities. Such "traditional" settlements include KwaXolo, KwaNzimakwe, KwaNdwalane, KwaMadlala, KwaMavundla and KwaLushaba.

Main places

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:^[5]

Politics

The municipal council consisted of fifty-eight members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Twenty-nine councillors were elected by first-past-the-post voting in twenty-nine wards, while the remaining twenty-nine were chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives was proportional to the number of votes received. In the election of 18 May 2011 the African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of forty-one seats on the council. The following table shows the results of the election.^[6][7]