[5] On 1 October 2010, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture gazette the list of approved name changes which included the eMkhomazi town and uMkhomazi river.

The area came into prominence in the mid-19th century when Theophilus Shepstone, the Secretary for Native Affairs, proposed the establishment of a “black kingdom” south of the uMkhomazi River in 1851.

The first official colonial presence began in July 1853 when Henry Francis Fynn was appointed Assistant Resident Magistrate in the Lower Umkomaas division.

The turning point for the South Coast, including Umkomaas, was in 1857 when the Legislative Council decided to promote development by opening up Crown land grants.

In Umkomaas, the entry of the ship Natalie was seen as a breakthrough for travel and transportation, as it brought access to Durban within a few hours, saving significant costs per ton of cargo.

[8] Located approximately 50 km south-west of Durban and almost halfway between Scottburgh and Kingsburgh, eMkhomazi and its neighbouring coastal village of Clansthal form the southernmost part of the eThekwini Municipality and the Sapphire Coast.

The river is 298 kilometres long, from its source just south of Giant's Castle in the uKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site to its mouth on the Indian Ocean.

During the winter dry season, the river mouth often silts up, but after heavy rains it carries large amounts of brown sediment into the Indian Ocean.

These pressures include soil erosion caused by over-grazing, intensive cultivation, sewage disposal, informal farming and settlements, timber plantations, and the removal of sand or topsoil from the river's basin.

[11] Some parts of the river basin are vulnerable to flooding due to the steep topography and weather systems, such as intense thunderstorms and cut-off lows.

Some floods have resulted in loss of life, destruction of properties where development has encroached on floodplains in densely populated areas, and damage to roads and bridges.

Beaches are at Widenham and the Mkomazi River north bank near Ilfracombe, which is the launching point for many boat and diving trips to the Aliwal Shoal.

[14] In 1954 an Italian consortium developed the large Saiccor industrial cellulose plant beside the river a short distance inland from the village.

It was purchased by international pulp and paper giant Sappi in 1988, and while it continues to provide jobs for about 1200 workers, and a livelihood for their dependents, concerns were raised as early as the 1990s over Saiccor's adverse effect on asthmatic children at the nearby Umkomaas Drift School.

Saiccor is today the world's largest producer of chemical cellulose, and employs about 1200 people directly and about 20 000 indirectly, its pulp being used largely for products such as viscose, acetate and cellophane.

Tourist attractions include the Umkomaas Golf Course, home of Tim Clark and widely regarded as being one of the best in KwaZulu-Natal, and the beautiful Empisini Nature Reserve, a forested area that features a delightful waterfall and a number of bush walks.

Swedish tennis player Mats Wilander was a regular visitor in the 1990s, and is rumoured to have been the owner of a large hotel on the corner of Moodie and Reynolds Street.

[citation needed] Umkomaas is renowned for the superb diving opportunities created by the Aliwal Shoal, a volcanic reef about 5 kilometres offshore.

[16] Umkomaas' official animal is the whale, representations of which can be found throughout the village, in everything from colourful murals to the primary school's uniform.