Located in the south-eastern corner of Mpumalanga and borders onto Swaziland in the east and KwaZulu-Natal in the south. Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality forms the eastern boundary and Msukaligwa Local Municipality is situated north.  It is made up of nineteen (19) wards covering 4 868 square kilometers central from Maputo, Swaziland, Durban, Nelspruit, Johannesburg and Pretoria (within ±300km radius).

Mpumalanga is considered to be one of the most geographically diverse and unbelievably beautiful places in South Africa. People are drawn to Mpumalanga by the magnificent scenery, by the fauna and flora and by the saga of the 1870s gold rush era and a wealth of fascinating tribal legends. Mountains, panoramic passes, valleys, rivers, waterfalls and forests characterise the landscape.

The Municipality amalgamated two former Transitional Local Councils and two Transitional Rural Councils – the historic towns of Piet Retief and Amsterdam. Mkhondo Local Municipality is one of the pilot sites for Comprehensive Rural Development Programme launched by the President of the Republic of South Africa in 2009.