Emalahleni Municipality is a Local Municipality within the Nkangala District Municipality, in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. Emalahleni is a Nguni word meaning; 'place of coal'. These Independent Homeland Areas were viewed as important productive Areas in the South African economic space. Their roles were rather seen as providing migrant labour to the Republic of South Africa, while ensuring that dependents remain settled within the Homeland. For many Years, therefore, these Areas received little investment in infrastructure and services. At the same time the Group Areas Act and associated Legislation.

Homelands experienced increased rural population densities, and an annual cycle of migration that took a large number of men and woman out of the areas for periods up to 10 months. This, to a large extent is the case, but families are migrating to job opportunities even in Cape Town and Gauteng in increased numbers. However, because of a lack of research it is not known to what extent, and in what form, migration is occurring. A further outcome of this is that, today, many people in these Areas are regarded and termed: “rural”. This is because they have some form of Residential Right. Yet most of the people have no real option but to retain their rural base, even though their resources of income (pensions, welfare grants and earnings from migrant labour in urban centers) and the nature of the services they demand, (access to shops, social facilities and services, water, electricity, transport, telephones and recreation facilities). These are all essentially: 'Urban in Nature'.

The balance of Emalahleni Municipality Area is made up of former RSA Magisterial Districts, which were administered under the Stormberg Regional Services Council. These Areas include the Commercial Farming Districts of: Dordrecht and Indwe. Indwe is a small Town located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It lies between the Towns of Dordrecht and Elliot, situated along the R56 road. The Town was founded in 1896 as a center for coal-mining activities, which began in 1867. It takes its name from the Indwe River, named after the Blue Crane (known as 'Indwe', in Xhosa) that used to inhabit the Area in large numbers. This Region, has a mix of Farms which comprise mainly of Merino Sheep, and Cattle Ranchers. (These mostly surround this Historic Town.)