The City of Durban

Durban, or eThekwini as it is referred to in Zulu, is South Africa's third largest city and the largest city in KwaZulu Natal.

The history of Durban dates back to 1824, when a party of 25 men under British Lieutenant F. G. Farewell arrived from the Cape Colony and established a settlement on the northern shore of the Bay of Natal, near today's Farewell Square. Accompanying Farewell was an adventurer named Henry Francis Fynn. Fynn was able to befriend the Zulu King Shaka by helping him to recover from a stab wound he suffered in battle. As a token of Shaka's gratitude, he granted Fynn a "30-mile strip of coast a hundred miles in depth."

During a meeting of 35 white residents in Fynn's territory on June 23, 1835, it was decided to build a capital town and name it "d'Urban" after Sir Benjamin d'Urban, then governor of the Cape Colony.

Further inland the Voortrekkers had crossed the Drakensberg mountain range and in 1838 established the Republic of Natalia with Pietermaritzburg as its capital. News of the Voortrekkers reached the British colony in the Cape and a force under the command of Captain Charlton Smith was dispatched to re-establish British Rule in Port Natal. The forces arrived in Durban on 4 May 1842 and established a fort at what is now known as Old Fort. On the night of 23 May the British force attacked the Voortrekkers stronghold at Congella but the attack was repelled and the British forces returned to their fort where they were put under siege by the Voortrekkers. A local trader Dick King and his servant Ndongeni were able to escape the blockade and rode to Grahamstown, a distance 600 km in fourteen days to raise reinforcements. The reinforcements arrived in Durban 20 days later forcing the Voortrekkers to retreat.

Fierce conflict with the Zulu population led to the evacuation of Durban, and eventually the Afrikaners accepted British annexation in 1844 under military pressure.

A British governor was appointed to the region and many settlers emigrated from Europe and the Cape Colony. The British established a sugar cane industry in the 1860s. Farm owners had a difficult time attracting Zulu labourers to work on their plantations, so the British brought thousands of indentured labourers from India on twenty five-year contracts. As a result of the importation of Indian labourers, Durban has the largest Asian community on the African continent.

Today, Durban is the busiest container port in Africa, and a popular tourist destination. The Golden Mile, developed as a welcoming tourist destination in the 1970s, as well as Durban at large, provide ample tourist attractions, particularly for people on holiday from Gauteng. The city is also a gateway to some of the finest game parks and historic sites of Zululand and the Drakensberg including the famous battlefields of The Anglo-Zulu and Anglo-Boer Wars.

Durban has a mild subtropical climate with warm wet summers and mild dry winters with minimum temperatures seldom falling below 10C. With the warm currents of the Indian Ocean brushing its shores, Durban is immensely popular for those wishing to holiday by the sea. All year round bathing, wonderful stretches of sandy beaches and sunny weather attract tourists throughout the year.

The Durban Metropolitan Area is the main economic driver in KwaZulu-Natal, contributing over half of the province's output, employment and income. In national terms, Durban is the second most important economic complex after Gauteng, accounting for 15% of national output, 14% of household income and 11% of national employment. Regional development corridors link Durban northwards to Richards Bay and Maputo, and westward to Pietermaritzburg and Johannesburg.

Attractions in Durban include

 

Home  |  About Best of KZN  |  Photo Gallery  |  Brochures & Videos  |  Maps  |  Online Live Bookings  |  Celebrations & Events  |  Partners | Bok BLOG | Newsletter (Subscribe)