It encompasses the city of Pietermaritzburg, which is the capital of KwaZulu-Natal and the main economic hub of the Umgungundlovu District Municipality.

In addition, Pietermaritzburg is home to a host of private and government-owned institutions of primary and secondary education.

[3] The Msunduzi Local Municipality council consists of eighty-one members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.

In the election of 1 November 2021 the African National Congress (ANC) lost its majority, obtaining a plurality of forty seats.

[4] By May 2023, the municipality owed Eskom R400 million for electricity services, but did not have the means to pay, and it approached national government for a bailout.