| Uvongo | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa KwaZulu-Natal#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -30.8167°N 53°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Ugu |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Ray Nkonyeni |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Subdivision Name4: | Margate |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 4.52 |
| Population Total: | 4288 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 21.6% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 2.0% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 4.4% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 71.8% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 0.3% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | English |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 57.7% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 25.5% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Zulu |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 8.1% |
| Demographics2 Title4: | Xhosa |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 5.6% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 3.2% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 4270 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 4270 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
Uvongo is a seaside resort town situated along the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast at the mouth of the Vungu River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Situated 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of Margate, Uvongo is the largest upmarket residential area on the Lower South Coast.
Uvongo beach lost its "Blue Flag" title due to storms damaging it in April 2007 but has managed to regain a clean and prestigious beach front. Uvongo still remains the playground of the rich, with multimillion rand properties in the area. Uvongo is one of South Africa's favourite holiday destinations and attracts local and foreign tourists.
The town is named after the main river flowing through the area, the Vungu River, which is derived from the Zulu word that describes the sound of a waterfall or the wind in a gorge.
The geographical position of Uvongo is between the coastal towns of St Michael’s-on-Sea and Shelly Beach to the north and Manaba Beach and Margate to the south. It is situated south of the Mhlangeni River and is bisected by the Vungu River, which forms a 23-metre high waterfall known as the Uvongo Falls above the lagoon that flows into a small gorge at the river mouth.[2]
The Greater Uvongo area consists of three smaller suburbs, namely Uvongo proper, situated inland from the coastline, Uvongo Beach, situated along the coastline north of the Vungu River, and Beacon Rocks, situated along the coastline south of the Vungu River.[3]
The Uvongo industrial area, situated to the west of the R61, is the second largest industrial area on the Lower South Coast after Marburg in Port Shepstone. The industrial area encompasses a variety of small to medium local businesses, however the most notable economic activity in the area is the NPC Quarry. The area is mainly accessed via Quarry Road from Wingate Road just opposite the R61/Margate/Uvongo off-ramp.[4]
Uvongo is bisected by the R620 (Marine Drive) connecting Shelly Beach to the north with Margate to the south and lies just off the R61 highway (future N2 Wild Coast Toll Route) between Port Shepstone to the north and Port Edward to the south. The area can also be reached via Knoxgore Road from Gamalakhe in the north-west and Seaslopes Avenue, which provides access to the R61.