[3][4] According to official Stats SA census 2011 results, some 82 Malamulele villages (excluding the township), were home to 206,646 people.

[5] In 2001, Thulamela calculated the population according to some 16 main areas (again, excluding the township), supposedly representing the number of independent chiefs, which add up to 199,807 inhabitants.

The Cahora Bassa HVDC power transmission line passes through Malamulele from Tete Province to Gauteng.

Its proximity to Zimbabwe and Mozambique makes Malamulele one of the northernmost towns in South Africa.

Malamulele was borne out of the homeland settlement system imposed by the Apartheid government.

It was one of the former 7 districts of Gazankulu, namely Nkowankowa,[17] N'wa-Mitwa,[17] Lulekani,[18] Mhala,[19] Hlanganani,[20] Giyani,[21] and of course, Malamulele.

[22] At the end of apartheid, Malamulele was renamed to Levubu-Shingwedzi Transitional Local Municipality, after the two rivers.

In the last few years, the objections went from peaceful applications to the Municipal Demarcation Board to violent protests with property being damaged.

[3][4] According to official Stats SA census 2011 results, some 82 Malamulele villages (excluding the township), were home to 206,646 people.

[27] In 2001, or 10 years prior, Thulamela calculated the population according to some 16 main areas (again, excluding the township), supposedly representing the number of independent chiefs, which added up to 199,807 people.

[28] These main areas are: Gijana (Magona), Madonsi, Makuleke, Mavambe, Mhinga, Mphambo, Mtititi, Mudavula, Mukhomi, Gumbani, Mulamula, Mulenzhe, Ntlhaveni (Bevhula), Tshikonelo, Xigalo, Xigamane, and Xikundu, thereby recognising 14 Tsonga and 2 Venda (Mulenzhe and Tshikonelo) chiefs.