Umzimvubu, the name of the Mzimvubu River, is an isiXhosa word meaning "home of the hippopotamus".

The municipality has undergone a number of amendments in terms of municipal and ward demarcation which has a profound impact on planning in the area.

The 2001 census divided the municipality into the following main places:[3] The municipal council consists of fifty-five members elected by mixed-member proportional representation.

Twenty-eight councillors are elected by first-past-the-post voting in twenty-eight wards, while the remaining twenty-seven 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 African National Congress (ANC) won a majority of forty-two seats on the council.