The municipality is largely composed of traditional areas, with tribal land patterns and high density rural settlements.

The uPhongolo River rises just east of Wakkerstroom and drains an area of nearly 8,000 km2 where the rainfall often exceeds 1,000 mm a year.

Because the irrigation weir at Pongola could not fully regulate the river's erratic water flow, the 89-meter-high Pongolapoort Dam wall was built in 1972 in a narrow gorge in the Lebombo Mountains.

Major development components consist of game and nature reserves, agricultural activities, traditional settlement areas and some urban nodes.

The uPhongolo Municipality provides regional access to a wide range of tourist activities outside its own boundaries.

In the election of 1 November 2021 the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) won a majority of fifteen seats.