The Ubuhlebezwe Municipality (KZ5a5) is located within the Harry Gwala District Municipality (DC43). The main administrative centre of the Municipality is the town of Ixopo, which is located approximately 85km south east of Pietermaritzburg, capital of KwaZulu-Natal, and is strategically located at the intersection of four major provincial routes leading to Pietermaritzburg, the Drakensberg, the Eastern Cape and the South Coast.