Msinga is an isiZulu word meaning "a current in the sea where air movement causes ripples on top of the water surface and ends up influencing the nearby climatic conditions through its breeze".

[5] This can be attributed to the fact that the urban areas of municipality are very small and are unable to provide the normal range of goods and services provided in urban areas.

Social services and private households generate 29% of the income for the area.

Twenty-one councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in twenty-one wards, while the remaining twenty are chosen from party lists so that the total number of party representatives is proportional to the number of votes received.

In the election of 1 November 2021 the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) won a majority of twenty-seven seats on the council.