Okhahlamba is made up of privately owned commercial farmland; smallholder settlements; the urban areas of Bergville, Winterton, Cathkin Park and Geluksberg; and three tribal authority areas. The ideally-situated agricultural and trading centre of Bergville, less than 50km from the towering Amphitheatre of Royal Natal, was laid out by a retired sea captain in 1897. Two years later, at the onset of the Anglo-Boer War, British forces built a blockhouse in the settlement. The building is now a monument and museum within the grounds of the Bergville Courthouse.
General Information
The area is relatively well linked through the network of existing provincial roads that run through the municipality. The municipality is largely reliant on Ladysmith for facilities such as shopping, medical services and education, among others. Large capital expenditure is needed to meet service backlogs in the area. The council manages a caravan park and holiday huts on the bank of the uThukela River. A playground and facilities for sports, including swimming, tennis, bowls, cricket, golf, rugby and badminton, are available. A modern community hall serves as a town hall. The economy of the municipality is based on manufacturing (29%), wholesale and retail trade (12%), finance, insurance, real estate, business services, tourism, agriculture.