A Return to Paradise and its People - Durban

DURBAN
A Return to Paradise and its People

welcome t

to durban

you are here

Published by
eThekwini Municipality
Commissioned by
Ntsiki Magwaza
eThekwini Communications Unit
Words and layout
Peter Machen
Photography
See photo credits
Printed by
Art Printers
Printed on
Environmentally friendly Sappi Avalon Triple
Green Supreme Silk paper
ISBN 978-0-620-38971-6
CONTENTS
009 Foreword
010 History
016 City Plans
026 Faith
030 Commerce
036 Eating
042 Building
048 Design
054 Writing
058 Art
064 Music
072 Dance
076 Theatre
080 Film
084 Museums
088 Getting Out
092 Sport
096 Mysteries
100 Where to Stay
102 Governance
104 Etcetera

FOREWORD
The face of Durban has changed
dramatically over the past few years
due to the massive investments in
infrastructure upgrade that were kickstarted
ahead of the 2010 Fifa World
Cup. Many of the plans that were
detailed in the previous edition of Durban
– A Paradise and its People have now been completed and have
helped to transform Durban into a world class city that is praised by
its citizens and visitors alike.
The attractive Moses Mabhida stadium has become an iconic
landmark for the city, while the renovation of the beachfront has
greatly expanded the promenade, which now stretches from Ushaka
Marine World to Blue Lagoon, providing a rich experience for local
and international tourists. Our transport system is undergoing
continuous improvements and access into and out of the city has
improved with the construction of fly-over bridges and dedicated
lanes for public transport vehicles. We have the brand new King
Shaka International Airport, located in one of the most beautiful
landscapes of any airport in the world, and part of the expansive
Dube Tradeport project which encourages export trade.
Areas outside of central Durban are also receiving attention, with
construction taking place at an accelerated pace from Hammersdale
to Inanda, Umhlanga and Amanzimtoti. Development of formerly black
townships is also progressing in order to bring formerly disadvantaged
citizens in to the mainstream of economic activity in eThekwini.
These plans are part of the City’s 2010 and Beyond Strategy.
When the Municipality was planning for the 2010 World Cup, it did
not just focus on the tournament but tried to ensure that infrastructural
improvements would leave a lasting legacy and improve the quality
of life for its residents. Beyond the World Cup, these facilities,
together with the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre
and Ushaka Marine World, have helped Durban to receive global
recognition as Africa’s sporting and events capital.
We are a diverse African city that is focused on citywide
investments, growing our economy and creating a better quality of
life. In Durban we play hard and we work hard. It’s not a coincidence
that we attract so many local and international tourists on a daily
basis. We are a growing urban setting, rich in diversity, cultural
amenities and outdoor recreational opportunities. The threads that
are woven into this City are integral to the rich history of South Africa,
and contribute to the cultural diversity and harmony that defines life
in eThekwini.
Welcome to Durban, the Warmest Place To Be! I hope you enjoy
Durban - A Return to Paradise and its People
Councillor James Nxumalo
Mayor of eThekwini Municipality
09

THERE’S SOMETHING FOOLISH ABOUT REDUCING
thousands of years of history to just a few pages. And this
is particularly the case in the multicultural society of Durban,
where many important contributing strands are bound to
fall by the wayside. But a little historical context will
nonetheless prove useful to visitors to Durban who would
like to understand, in some way, how the city has evolved
into its current form.
The timeline of human habitation in Durban goes back
to long before the advent of recorded history in the region.
While some of the earliest remnants of humanity are found
in the nearby Drakensberg, it is now established that prior
to the arrival of the Nguni people and subsequent European
colonialists, the area was populated by the original people
of Southern Africa – now collectively called the Khoi/San.
Then, on Christmas day in 1497, Portuguese explorer
Vasco da Gama passed the mouth of Durban Bay and
promptly named it Rio de Natal (Christmas River), presuming
that several rivers flowed into the bay.
Back then, before the intrusive advent of industrialisation,
the bay was separated from the sea by a sandbar. In the
vast waters of the bay and the mangrove swamps on its
edges, crocodiles, hippopotamuses and flamingoes spent
their days. Beyond the bay lay a ridge of hills which was
home to elephants, hyenas and lions until about a century
ago, and which now houses Durban’s immediate suburbs.
Over the subsequent years, Rio de Natal came to be a
popular stop-off point for explorers and traders, mainly
because the bay offered one of the few protected
anchorages on the southern coast of Africa.
10
HISTORY
COLONIAL IMPRINT Durban still bears the imprint of George
Cato’s original three-street town plan, to which only two main
parallel streets have been added, before the city’s grid structure
surrenders to the more convoluted layout of its surburbs. Like
many African cities, Durban still wears the vestiges of its colonial
origins, with beautiful low rise neo-classical buildings dominating
its centre, attended by a throng of colonial-era statues. Similarly,
the Album: city itself Introducing is still named after Shiyani its founder, NcgoboBenjamin
D’Urban,
although it is also referred to by its Zulu name, eThekwini.

In 1823, the first European settlement arrived on the
ship, The Salisbury, under the command of Lieutenant
James King, with the aim of trading up and down the South
African coast. While inclement weather forced the vessel
to anchor in the sheltered area off the coast of Durban,
her accompanying ship, the Julia, sailed over the sandbar
and surveyed the bay.
King immediately recognised the importance of the bay
and returned to England to try and garner support for an
English settlement. He was unsuccessful, and soon sailed
back to Port Natal, as it had come to be called by the
Europeans.
King then befriended King Shaka Zulu who granted him
land around the bay, and sent him to England with two of
his chiefs on a diplomatic mission. But the party got no
further than Port Elizabeth and King returned to Port Natal
once more, moving to the Bluff across the bay, where he
died of dysentery in 1828.
This rough, uncertain life frequently had lethal results
and at one point the number of settlers at the bay was no
more than six. At a meeting in 1835, attended by the full
complement of settlers at the time – 15 in all – a town was
proclaimed, and named in honour of the Governor of the
Cape, Sir Benjamin D’Urban.
Despite initially grandiose plans, little development took
place in this early settlement. Dwellings of rudimentary
mud and wattle nestled in the coastal bush, and a full 12
years after the proclamation, there were still no streets.
Although the settlers maintained cordial relations with
the powerful founder of the Zulu nation to their north,
matters changed for the worse when Shaka’s successor
Dingane took over. Under Shaka’s rule, the Zulus considered
the area to be their territory but had tolerated the white
settlers whose trading habits were useful to them. Whereas
THE CITY HALL Built in 1910 in the neo-baroque style, the City
Hall was inspired by the Belfast City Hall in Northern Ireland. This
handsome sandstone building is adorned with allegorical sculptures
in the neo-classical style representing art, music, literature, commerce
and industry. The hall, with its sumptuous interior and beautiful
acoustics, is used as a venue for cultural and social events and
regularly hosts concerts by the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra.
The building houses the Mayor’s Parlour as well as the City Library,
the Natural Science Museum and the Durban Art Gallery.
11

Shaka had instructed his citizens to live in peace with the white
settlers, Dingane showed open animosity and aggression.
In 1838 the Voortrekkers arrived from the Eastern Cape,
already having laid claim to Natal, despite the fact that several
columns of their wagons had been massacred by the Zulus
along the way. Later that year at the battle of Ndondakusuka,
a number of British traders lost their lives, along with hundreds
of Zulus, and were forced to flee. In 1842 the British sent
forces to maintain order in the area and were promptly
besieged by the Voortrekkers. It fell to Dick King and his
Zulu servant Ndongeni to ride to the British Garrison in
Grahamstown to get help.
King earned a legendary place in local history by riding 960
kilometres in 10 days, past the Voortrekkers and through wild
uncharted territory, crossing more than 120 rivers. A month
later the besieged British were relieved. (King, seemingly
always on the side of the underdog, also walked from Durban
to northern Natal to warn the Voortrekkers of the massacre of
Piet Retief by the Zulu king Dingane.)
In 1844, the British annexed the southern portion of Natal
to their already existing Cape Colony. This annexe was
significantly boosted in the early 1850s when several thousand
settlers arrived, courtesy of an Irishman named Joseph Byrne,
who had once visited Durban, and who hoped to make money
by shipping in settlers to this difficult paradise.
In 1860, finding the Zulus to be uncooperative workers,
the British imported the first of several thousand indentured
labourers from British India to work in the sugar cane fields.
Along with them came ‘passenger’ Indians who were not
indentured, and who were free to engage in business.
But Durban was still a rough looking outpost and it took the
efforts of a young immigrant named George Cato to lay out
the town properly with three main streets, each 100 feet across
– wide enough to turn a wagon and 16 oxen (the reason why
12
APARTHEID TOWN PLANNING has left its footprint all over
the eThekwini Metro Area as a result of the Group Areas Act
which divided South African cities along racial lines. But
although apartheid formalised segregation, city structures
had already been shaped by the country’s colonial past. In
1923 the Urban Areas Act was passed, forcing ‘blacks’ into
what were known as ‘locations’. Segregated cities became
apartheid Album: Introducing cities after the Shiyani National Ncgobo Party came into power in
1948 and all remaining ‘non-whites’ in Durban were forced
to move to the outlying areas of the city.
city centre roads in South Africa are so wide). In 1860, a railway
linked the harbour with the small town and within 30 years it
reached all the way to Johannesburg, while the town of Durban
began to expand beyond the swampland to the cooler hills of
the Berea.
The discovery of gold in the Transvaal was a major boost
to the port, while the presence of coal in Dundee resulted in
many ships using the port for bunkering. The progress of the
port finally led to the troublesome sandbar at the harbour
entrance being removed.
As a result of the increased use of the harbour, many
marine-related industries such as ship building, stevedoring

and chandling were established in Durban, along with a
dry dock.
By 1900, the town had a sewerage system, hardened
roads and water reticulation. The expansion of the railways
also had the effect of attracting people from the Transvaal,
who wished to vacation in the seaside town. This
established Durban as a major tourist destination, a
position it retains more than a century later. During the
frequent conflicts in the colony, Durban was also the
primary disembarkation point for British troops.
In 1932 a number of satellite suburbs were incorporated
into the town and in 1935 Durban was granted city status.
In the years after World War II, the history of Durban
was defined largely by the implementation of apartheid,
and the struggle for equal humanity that ensued. Today,
this legacy is most visibly evident in the existence of
extensive shack settlements throughout the region.
As the Group Areas Act got under way, the City Council
decided to build more formal communities, and large
townships were constructed to house African workers
both north and south of Durban.
In 1994 South Africa had its first democratic election,
which changed forever the tone and flavour of Durban.
In 1996 the Municipal boundaries were expanded to
become the Durban Metropolitan Region, or Durban
Metro, by including large areas to the north, south and
west of the city.
Four years later, a further expansion resulted in the
inclusive Durban Unicity. Today Durban is the third largest
city in South Africa and of vital economic importance to
the country. The city continues its role as South Africa’s
most popular tourist destination, while its complex history
has ensured a rich and diverse multicultural future.
FACTS ABOUT DURBAN is a fascinating collection of facts and
anecdotes about Durban and its history. A rich source of
information on the city, FAD includes everything from a timeline
of the city’s history to wrecks which have occurred off the coast
and the exact details of what the lights on the Millenium Tower
mean. The archival images in the previous few pages were used
with the kind permission of the author Allan Jackson, who also
curates the constantly updated FAD website (www.fad.co.za)
and writes a weekly internet column for the Sunday Tribune.
The Inanda City Guide The Inanda area, just outside of Durban, is of
great importance to the history of South Africa. Many of the events that
took place here have had global significance. It was in Inanda that the
young Mahatma Gandhi birthed his notion of satyagraha, or peaceful
resistance, and where the seeds of the African National Conference were
planted. The eThekwini Municipality has produced a series of City Guide
area maps, including one which focuses on Inanda, detailing sites of
historic importance and sacred significance. Pick up a copy of the
Woza Enanda City Guide at Tourist Junction in the centre of Durban.
13

MAHATMA GANDHI Mahatma Gandhi arrived in Durban in 1893
as a legal advisor to an Indian firm. Initially unaware of the racial
inequalities in the colony, he threw himself into the struggle for
elementary rights for Indians. He helped to establish the Natal
Indian Congress in 1894 and the newspaper The Indian Opinion
in 1903 and, a year later, established a settlement in Phoenix. It
was here that his notion of satyagraha or non-violent resistance
would later emerge, before resonating around the globe. JOHN ROSS In 1827 the 15 year old John Ross walked
900 kms from Durban to Delagoa Bay (now Maputo) and
back through untamed wilderness to fetch medical supplies
for the settlers. Along the way he visited King Shaka who
provided him with an armed escort for the journey. Today,
a statue of Ross stands in front of John Ross House on the
Esplanade as a tribute to his bravery and determination.
14
JOHN DUBE Poet BW Vilakazi wrote in 1946 that John Dube
was “a great, if not the greatest, black man of the missionary
epoch in South Africa.” With the most meagre of economic
means, Dube emerged from history as a renaissance man in
the true sense of the word. He was founding president of the
African National Congress, started the local Zulu language
newspaper Ilanga which continues to hold influence today,
and founded the influential Ohlanga High School, which has
produced many of South Africa’s most powerful personalities.

SHAKA ZULU More than 200 years after his
reign, Shaka remains an icon of global significance.
Recognised as one of the world’s greatest military
strategists, he has been the subject of fervent
mythologising, casting him as a warrior of classical
proportions. Whatever the truth, he cast a shadow
too large for legend to give way to accuracy.
INANDA SEMINARY The Inanda Seminary has had a profound impact on
South Africa and its history. For it is here that John Dube’s grandmother was
converted to Christianity by the American missionary Daniel Lindley and where
Dube’s father worked as one of the first ordained pastors of Lindley’s American
Zulu Mission. Established in 1869 at the Inanda Mission Station, the seminary
was the first secondary school for African girls in Southern Africa and the only
mission school in South Africa which managed to escape incorporation into
apartheid structures and remain a private school. The campus
remains active today and is accessible to tourists. Phone +27 31 510 1011.
Battlefields Holiday The battlefields of KwaZulu-Natal are located mainly in the
hinterland of the Zulu Kingdom. The 63 battlefield sites are haunting reminders
of some of the bloodiest encounters in colonial history, including conflicts
between the Voortrekkers and the Zulus, the Zulus and the British and the Boers
and the British. Campaign Trails (www.campaigntrails.co.za) offer a number of
battlefields tours, as do several other operators. Phone +27 31 767 4166.
History In Museums Durban has a diverse selection of museums which provide a broad range of information
about the collective history of the city and the region. From the KwaMuhle Museum, which illustrates the oppressive
conditions experienced by black people under apartheid, to the Natural Science Museum, which explores the
biological history of South Africa, a wealth of historical resources is available to historians, researchers and anyone
keen to learn more about the fascinating history of eThekwini. See Museums Section for more information.
15

WITH THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP CAME THE PROMISE
of prosperity as the world focused on South Africa and its
major cities, putting Durban firmly on the international map.
But for the city to maximise the economic opportunities
and media attention of this global event, it must look beyond
2010, towards a sustainable and viable future. The following
projects, many now complete, demonstrate the many ways
in which prosperity and success can be achieved as part
of a city’s overall growth.
While Durban’s beachfront showcases the pleasures of
the city’s coastlines to locals and well-heeled international
tourists, the townships of Phoenix, KwaMashu and Umlazi
are gradually normalising into more conventional urban
environments with their own political and economic centres,
thanks largely to the remarkable Bridge City development,
a City-led urban intervention. Transport in the city will greatly
improve as the People Mover system evolves from its role
as a World Cup courier to the stadium, while the new stateof-the-art
airport and trade port establish Durban as one
of Africa’s most connected cities.
16
CITY PLANS
ICC EXTENSION The Albert Luthuli International Convention
Centre has been extremely successful since its inception,
establishing Durban as one of the world’s conferencing capitals.
It has recently been extended, doubling its size and providing
expanded services. There is now a world-class indoor arena,
as well as open spaces around the building which contribute
to its iconic appearance and which will soon be extended to
activate the adjacent area. The ICC Arena puts the ICC Durban
in a league of its own, making it the only indoor venue in the
country able to accommodate over 10 000 people.
CENTRAL DURBAN
THE PEOPLE MOVER This new bus system forms part of a transport
redesign process that the city implemented in preparation for the
2010 Fifa World Cup. With closed circuit surveillance cameras installed
on each bus and wardens stationed at all stops to help tourists and
passengers, the People Mover promises a safe and reliable public
transport system. With an access ramp for wheelchairs and prams,
and onboard information about the city, the buses cover the beachfront
and inner city routes from 6.30am to 11pm every day.
CENTRAL DURBAN

CENTRAL DURBAN
REINVENTING THE BEACHFRONT Over the past year, the city has
been hard at work rebuilding the beachfront, putting in place a
promenade that runs the full stretch of the city centre’s coastline.
Part of a bold new vision for reinventing the beachfront, the
renovation is the centrepiece of a broad strategy to dramatically
grow Durban’s tourism market. The aim is to offer a beachfront
package that will appeal to the full spectrum of beach users, from
local water sports enthusiasts to visitors from around the world.
NORTH DURBAN
NORTH DURBAN
NANDI DRIVE This is the largest road project ever
undertaken by the eThekwini Municipality. The
R320 million construction of the Nandi Road Arterial
has opened up the area to a wealth of economic
activity. The development has facilitated easier access
to the city for residents to the north of the city centre,
eased traffic congestion coming from Inanda,
KwaMashu and North Coast Road, and opened up
approximately 280 hectares of land for light industrial,
commercial and residential development projects.
KWAMASHU TOWN CENTRE The Inanda/Ntuzuma/Kwa-
Mashu (INK) initiative is driving an ambitious social realignment
programme to accelerate the development of communities
living in these areas. The R30 million KwaMashu Town Centre
upgrade has provided physical infrastructure, business
support and safety in the area. The city is actively promoting
private investment in the town centre as part of its
regeneration programmes in formerly disenfranchised CBDs.
17

CENTRAL DURBAN
WIDENING THE HARBOUR MOUTH As part of an extensive upgrade
which will transform the Port of Durban into a well-defined logistics hub,
the harbour mouth has been substantially widened – from 130m to 300m
at its widest point – and the entrance channel deepened so that the port
can handle the new generation of massive ‘super ships’. Additionally, an
agreement between the National Ports Authority and the Municipality
includes plans for upgrading the existing container terminal, a new
container terminal, and a new general-cargo terminal on the Point.
18
Dominant Sectors Durban is the country’s most visited tourist destination and
has the second largest manufacturing base, as well as a strong agricultural
sector and growing IT, outsourcing, printing and creative industries.
CENTRAL DURBAN
THE MOSES MABHIDA STADIUM Construction
of this world-class multi-purpose sports stadium
was completed in 2009. The elegant new complex
was one of the major host stadiums for the 2010
Fifa World Cup and will be a major asset for future
Olympic bids. The stadium can accommodate
70000 spectators and is part of the Municipality’s
Beyond 2010 strategy which aims to establish
Durban as Africa’s premier sporting destination.
The Role Of Infrastructure In Economic Development A central role of the eThekwini Municipality is
to sensitively provide infrastructure that will help to grow the local economy while minimising negative externalities
such as noise and air pollution. The success of Nandi Drive is a good example of how the provision of infrastructure
by local government can catalyse development in an area. By connecting the outer ring freeway with Durban’s
northern suburbs, access to much land has been opened up, allowing for the development of commercially
intensive areas such as River Horse Park and alleviating congestion at other arterial entrances to Durban.
Similarly, the City’s public-private partnership with Tongaat Hulett is helping to facilitate the economic and urban
integration of the formerly marginalised areas of Phoenix, Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu. What was
once a mass of semi-rural housing is very quickly turning into a small city that will activate the area around it.

NORTH DURBAN
DUBE TRADE PORT With the newly completed King Shaka International
Airport at its centre, the Dube Trade Port, once completed, will see
the establishment of an exciting state of the art export zone incorporating
a new air platform linked with the seaports of Durban and Richards
Bay. By attracting private sector investment and providing a multimodal
platform for local exporters to more effectively tap into global
markets, the Dube Trade Port will serve as a catalyst for economic
development and sustainable job creation. The Trade Port will
incorporate a trade zone, a cyberport, perishables facilities, freight
transfer facilities and other commercial and retail opportunities.
NORTH DURBAN
CENTRAL DURBAN
RENOVATING THE CITY During 2010 significant
progress was made with an ambitious project to
revitalise the inner city and its immediate arterial
suburbs. Much of the city has been renovated including
roads, pavements, lighting and the City Hall itself.
Additionally, many building owners have followed the
city’s lead, resulting in a cleaner, more liveable city.
KING SHAKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT includes an
integrated passenger and freight airport without the significant
constraints associated with the old Durban International
Airport. Nearly 20000 square metres in size, the passenger
terminal, with ‘parking spaces’ for 18 passenger aircrafts,
allows for seven million passengers every year, with
opportunities for significant expansion built into the design.
19

GALLERIA SHOPPING CENTRE in Amanzimtoti features 12 movie
houses, an ice-skating rink, indoor putt-putt, sea view restaurants
and a collection of retail giants. Boasting 87 000 square metres
of retail space and 5700 secure parking bays, the focus is on good
old-fashioned family entertainment and affordable prices. With
the launch of the Galleria, the beachfront Water World and Fun
Land, Amanzimtoti is proving to be the new destination of choice
for Durbanites who are a little removed from the city centre.
20
SOUTH DURBAN OUTER WEST
OUTER WEST
HILLCREST The suburb of Hillcrest experienced a
building boom in the 1990s and 2000s with the
construction of a number of gated communities
and shopping centres. Previously a sleepy village
on the outskirts of Durban, Hillcrest has now become
a booming suburb incorporated into the eThekwini
Municipal Area. With existing road and sewage
systems unable to cope with the development boom,
upgrade programmes estimated at some R60 million
were initiated. The widening of a number of main
and arterial roads, additional traffic lights and the
completion of the Durban-bound on-ramp from
Shongweni Road have made significant differences
in easing traffic movement, while sewerage
concerns have been addressed by upgrades to
the existing Hillcrest Wastewater Treatment Works.
HAMMARSDALE Construction has begun on a multimillion
Rand development project to turn the Mpumalanga area into
a vibrant, high-amenity regional town centre that will serve the
Hammarsdale and Mpumalanga areas. Phase one consists
of R30m bulk infrastructure, laying the foundations for an
18000 square metre shopping centre, the first such facility to
be established in the currently under-serviced town centre.

SOUTH DURBAN
UMLAZI MEGACITY , completed at a cost of R150 million, means
that Umlazi’s residents can now shop in comfort and safety. The project
was driven by private sector developers with the support of the
eThekwini Municipality, giving life to the city’s commitment – as stated
in its Integrated Development Plan – to revitalise township areas by
using its economic position to lever private sector funding. Umlazi
MegaCity represents the first phase in a process of transforming both
the physical appearance and social dynamics of a community that in
the past was spatially isolated and economically marginalised as part
of the ‘separate development’ of apartheid’s town planning policies.
ALL AREAS
SOUTH DURBAN
THE SOUTH DURBAN BASIN consists of a nationally
important industrial area interspersed with a substantial
residential component. Key infrastructure upgrades
aimed at improving service delivery are being rolled
out in an area previously neglected by the apartheid
regime. These upgrades include a major traffic
interchange, electrical substation upgrades and road
and storm water upgrades, as well as the improvement
of the public realm through urban cleaning and greening.
CITY GUIDES The Municipality has recently published a
number of City Guides, including guides to Durban’s galleries
and museums, as well as to the important cultural precincts
of Inanda, Warwick Junction, Grey Street and the city centre.
The guides, which were originated with the 2010 Fifa World
Cup in mind, will continue to be produced in the future,
with a number of architectural guides in the pipeline for the
World Congress of Architects which Durban will host in 2014.
21

NORTH DURBAN
BRIDGE CITY Bridge City is a new town centre being developed 17
kilometres from the Durban city centre, bridging the communities of Phoenix,
Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu and integrating them into the urban system.
This visionary new town will serve as the social and commercial centre to
an area housing a population of over 800 000 people, who at present
have generally poor access to facilities and social services. It will be a
catalyst for economic growth and the empowerment of surrounding
communities by improving access to transport, work and commercial activity.
22
Twenty Twenty Vision The Municipality’s Economic Development Strategy was
adopted in July 2008, outlining a set of choices and outcomes to ultimately achieve
the overall vision of becoming Africa’s most caring and liveable city by 2020.
SOUTH DURBAN
AUTOMOTIVE CLUSTER Durban is the city of
choice for South Africa’s globalised automotive
industry and is home to South Africa’s largest
vehicle assembler, Toyota SA. The region’s
automotive industry receives strong support from
eThekwini Municipality and benefits from a highly
developed logistics platform emanating from the
Durban harbour. The automotive industry is the
largest manufacturing sector in South Africa.
Urban Growth Rural Backlog Recent indicators suggest that the eThekwini Municipality’s economy is
outperforming the national economy in terms of the Gini Coefficient, unemployment rate and Gross Domestic
Product. Locally, the introduction of the Dube Trade Port, the 2010 Fifa World Cup and the major expansion
plans around the Port of Durban are three main projects that will act as major catalysts for the city’s economic
growth over the next decade, with a legacy lasting well into the 21st Century. At the same time, substantial
progress has been made in extending basic household services to previously unconnected households, with
approximately 75% of all households now having access to adequate levels of such services. The major backlog
areas coincide geographically with existing informal settlements and rural and peri-urban areas. The key
development challenge facing the Municipality is to address the service delivery backlogs in these areas.

The Value of Durban’s Open Spaces
The value of natural goods and services
provided by Durban’s more than 63 000
hectares of open space is estimated to
be valued at more than R3billion. The
value of goods and services, such as
water and firewood provided by the
natural environment in rural areas,
provides an estimated R8000 per annum
in services to each household. This means
that if the natural resources were
depleted in our rural areas, each
household would have to find R8 000
each year to purchase the goods and
services that were previously provided
free of charge by the natural
environment. As such, there are important
economic reasons, beyond the concerns
of conservation, to ensure the sustainable
provision of the city’s open spaces.
Business Referral and Information
Network (BRAIN)
Basic information for small businesses
www.brain.org.za
Department of Economic
Development and Tourism
Private Bag X001, Bishopsgate,
4009
Tel: +27 31 310 5303
Fax: +27 31 307 6152
E-mail: langab@ecotour1.kzntl.gov.za
www.kzn-deat.gov.za
Durban Africa
PO Box 1044, Durban, 4000
Tel: +27 31 304 4934
Fax: +27 31 304 6196
E-mail: funinsun@iafrica.com
Durban Chamber of Commerce
and Industry
PO Box 1506, Durban, 4000
Tel: +27 31 335 1000
Fax:+27 31 332 1288
E-mail: chamber@durbanchamber.co.za
www.durbanchamber.co.za
Business Contacts
Durban Investment Promotion
Agency (DIPA)
PO Box 1203, Durban 4000
Tel: +27 31 336 2516/40
Fax:+27 31 336 2641
Cell: +27 82 924 6349
E-mail: monique.labat@dipa.co.za
www.dipa.co.za
Economic Development Department,
eThekwini Municipality
PO Box 5856, Durban, 4000
Tel: +27 31 311 3801
Fax: +27 31 306 0195
E-mail: ecodev@durban.gov.za
eThekwini Municipality
Development and Planning Unit
PO Box 680, Durban, 4000
Tel: +27 31 311 2911
Fax: +27 31 311 2684
www.durban.gov.za/eThekwini/Municipality/Planning
KING’S PARK SPORTS DISTRICT The City’s vision of
becoming Africa’s premier sporting and leisure destination
has been taken a step further with the King’s Park Sports
Precinct, with the Moses Mabhida Stadium at its centre.
As part of the Municipality’s Beyond 2010 strategy, it was
deemed practical to build the stadium in an area where
all the Olympic sporting codes co-exist in close proximity
with world class facilities. The construction of the precinct
gives high priority to important developmental benefits
such as housing, infrastructure, transport and hotels. CENTRAL DURBAN
23

24
Local Exporters
www.southafricanexporters.co.za
Albert Luthuli International
Convention Centre Durban
PO Box 155, Durban, 4000, South Africa
Tel: +27 31 360 1000
Fax: +27 31 360 1005
E-mail: mktg@icc.co.za
www.icc.co.za
Ithala Development Finance
Corporation Ltd
PO Box 2801, Durban, 4000
Tel: +27 31 907 8810
Fax: +27 31 907 5685
E-mail: tzulu@ithala.co.za
www.ithala.co.za
KwaZulu-Natal Economic Council
PO Box 30886, Mayville, 4058, South Africa
Tel: +27 31 261 8181
Fax: +27 31 261 8185
E-mail: kznec@kznec.org.za
KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Authority
PO Box 2516, Durban 4000, South Africa
Tel: +27 31 304 7144
Fax: +27 31 305 6693
E-mail: info@tourism-kzn.org
www.zulukingdom.org.za
National African Federated Chamber
of Commerce and Industry - Inyanda
PO Box 3095, Durban, 4000, South Africa
Tel: +27 31 304 2911
Fax: +27 31 305 4913
More Business Contacts
Ombudsperson for Banking Services
PO Box 5728, Johannesburg, 2000
Tel: +27 11 838 0035
or +27 0860 800 900
Fax: +27 11 838 0043
www.obssa.co.za
Portnet – Port of Durban
PO Box 1027, Dalton, 4000, South Africa
Tel: 27 31 361 8804
Fax: +27 31 361 8920
E-mail: ronnieh@portnet.co.za
www.portnet.co.za/durban/
Small Enterprise Development Agency
(SEDA)
PO Box 56714, Arcadia, 0007
Tel: 0860 103 703
or +27 12 441 1000
E-mail: info@seda.org.za
www.seda.org.za
Thekwini Business Development
Centre (TBDC)
PO Box 623, Durban, 4000
Tel: +27 31 309 5432
Fax: +27 31 309 5437
E-mail: protasm@iafrica.com
Trade and Investment KZN
PO Box 4245, Durban, 4000
Tel:+27 31 366 0600
Fax:+27 31 304 4471
Email: mncwabe@tikzn.co.za

SHEMBE The Shembe faith is often referred to as an Africanised
Christianity. Although there is much reference to the Old Testament
and conventional Christian rituals, the faith’s spiritual resonance is
more African than Western. The church was founded in 1910 by the
Prophet Isaiah Shembe and today has millions of followers who
gather together in marginal outdoor spaces. Dressed in white,
they assemble on traffic islands around the city for prayer or to
practise their haunting Shembe horn, the inspiration for the vuvuzela.
26
FAITH
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT RELIGION IN DURBAN,
you can learn much from a walk around the city’s streets. As
well as the host of mosques, temples, churches and cathedrals,
declarations of faith are to be found everywhere – from the
small star-shaped insignia that Zionist devotees wear on their
lapels to the huge selection of buses and minibuses bearing
religious messages.
Although South Africa is constitionally a secular country,
most of its population lays claim to a recognised faith, with the
majority of Durbanites claiming some form of Christianity as
their belief structure. In keeping with the city’s multicultural
reality, religion in Durban is a vibrant melting pot of beliefs and
theologies many of which have been reconstructed and infused
with a spirituality that is markedly African in its content.
And while religions are often defined by their separateness
from each other, in times of struggle, Durban’s various belief
systems often come together in multi-faith services. From the
Shembe devotees to the Hare Krishnas to the Zanzibari
Muslims, faith in Durban is a reflection of the global nature of
the city’s genesis.
CHRISTIANITY While most Durbanites profess to being Christians,
this often means an entirely different set of rituals, prophets and
theological structures to those usually associated with the faith.
African Christianity, in the form of the Zionist and Shembe
devotees, constitute a sizeable proportion of the Christians in
Durban, although there is a significant and diverse following of
‘conventional’ Christianities. Together, they fulfill every possible
permutation Album: Introducing within the Shiyani parameters Ncgobo of modern Christianity.

ISLAM arrived in South Africa as early as 1658
with the Dutch settlement in the Cape, but the
first mosque was only erected in 1804. With the
arrival of Indian labourers in Natal, the Muslim
community mushroomed and today constitutes an
important component of life in South Africa. A
large proportion of South African Muslims are
found in Durban and the azaan (the call to the
faithful) is heard in many parts of the metro area.
Religious Holidays Although South Africa is officially a secular country, most
South Africans acknowledge a faith of some kind. The local calendar reflects
the traditional Christian holidays but they are generally celebrated with little
cultural specificity. If you were to send out a holiday email in Durban in
December, you would wish people ‘a happy festive season’, acknowledging that
not everyone celebrates Christmas but that everyone enjoys a holiday.
HINDUISM Although only 2% of Durban’s population are Hindu, the
faith has had a significant impact on the city, with a network of Hindu
Temples and a culture of vegetarianism being two of its gifts to the
city. Hinduism first appeared in Durban in 1860 when indentured
labourers arrived from India to work on the sugar plantations of Natal.
Very soon they started to build shrines and temples, replicating the
religious idiom of their homeland. Today South African Hindus
practice their faith in much the same way as they would do in India,
with a rich selection of temples located throughout eThekwini.
Religious Harmony The faith-based conflict that is
evident in many parts of the world is not reflected in
Durban’s religious landscape where harmony is generally
the order of the day. While the legacy of apartheid is
still with us in many ways, contemporary South Africa
is a country of great tolerance and acceptance.
Temples Of Understanding You don’t need to be Muslim to enter a Mosque or Hindu to visit a temple. And
you don’t need to be a follower of Shembe to walk into the sacred stone circles which constitute their churches.
But you do need to be respectful, ask before you enter and accept that in most religious spaces there will be
areas that are forbidden to non-believers. Generally, you should take off your shoes, and also accept the fact
that in many local theologies, men and women will sometimes occupy different areas of a site or venue.
27

ZIONISM The predominant religious belief systems in South
Africa are a fusion of Christianity and traditional beliefs. Referred
to as Syncretism, Apostolicism and Zionism, Africanised
Christianity is a marriage of western ritual and theology with
African religious culture. The overwhelming majority of
African Christians favour Africanised versions of Christianity,
which do not violate the foundations of their traditional cultures.
28
ZANZIBARI The Zanzibari community arrived on
our coast in 1874 after being rescued by the British
from a slave ship. Their ‘rescue’ consisted of a five
year term of indentured labour, after which they
returned to their traditional way of life, collectively
buying a plot of land on the Bluff. Under apartheid,
they were relocated to Chatsworth where they
continue to follow Islam as their forefathers did.
HARE KRISHNA Chatsworth, in South Durban, boasts
the biggest Hare Krishna temple in Africa and is home
to a thriving Krishna community. A visit to the beautiful,
lotus-shaped Temple of Understanding is an essential
part of the Durban experience. And while you’re there,
you should really have lunch downstairs at Govindas,
the temple’s vegetarian restaurant whose kitchen also
provides delicious food for the poor all over eThekwini.

Religion and Colonialism Religion
played an important role in the history
of colonialism in Southern Africa. On
the one hand, it was used as one of the
many smokescreens to legitimise the
actions of the colonial authorities. On
the other hand, the spread of Christianity
also played a significant role in resisting
the forces of colonialism, both in the
establishment of the Africanised
Christian churches and in opposition by
liberal churches to the race-based
inequalities of apartheid. While the
Afrikaans-based Nederduits
Gereformeerde Kerk played a central
part in sustaining apartheid and its
ideologies, there were many churches
and missionaries who defied the system
of apartheid. Over the decades, churches
have frequently been sites of activism
and remain so today. Additionally, the
history of missionaries in South Africa
is intricately tied to the creation of a
small black educated class, many of
whom entered political life in the
resistance struggle against the apartheid
regime. Whatever their intent at the
time, the early missionaries would no
doubt smile at the fact that the majority
of South Africans profess to be Christian.
CHURCHES
Apostolic Faith Mission
Yusuf Dadoo Street,
City Centre
Dutch Reformed
Church 151 Anton
Lembede Street
Methodist Church
70 Lena Ahrens
Road, Glenwood
St James’ Church
109/111 Venice
Road, Morningside
St John’s Church
205 Clark Road,
Glenwood
Trinity Congregational
284 Florida Road,
Morningside
JUDAISM Judaism arrived in South Africa in the Cape in
the early 1800s when European Jews immigrated to the
country, and by the first half of the 20th Century Jewish
society was flourishing in South Africa. Today, however, Jewish
people constitute only 0.2% of the population, with the
majority living in Johannesburg. Durban maintains a small
but active Jewish community, linked by a small number of
synagogues in the Metro area as well as by several Jewish
organisations, including the Jewish Club near the beachfront
which has recently opened the remarkable Holocaust Museum.
HINDU TEMPLES
Cato Manor Hindu
Temple, 588 Vusi Mzimela
Road, Cato Manor
Durban Hindu Temple
24 Somtseu Road,
City Centre
Shree Gengaiammen
814 Vusi Mzimela
Road, Cato Manor
Shree Nivasa Perumal
Kouvil
127 Felix Dlamini Road
Umgeni Road Temple
Complex 535 Umgeni
Road, Greyville
Places of Worship
MOSQUES
Juma Musjid Mosque
Yusuf Dadoo Street,
City Centre
Soofie Mosque
50 Lower Bridge
Road, Riverside
Soofie Mosque
Umgeni Road, corner
Alpine Road
Overport Mosque
64 Glenearn Road,
Durban
Soofie Saheb Badha
Peer Darbar
535 Umgeni Road
West Street Mosque
478 Dr Pixley
KaSeme Street
SYNAGOGUES
Durban Hebrew
Congregation
Cnr. Stephen Dlamini
and Silverton Roads
Berea
Durban Progressive
Jewish Congregation
369 Ridge Road
Berea
Chabad of the North
Coast
11 Flamingo Lane
Umhlanga Rocks
Durban Jewish Club
44 KE Masinga Road
City Centre
Holocaust Centre
44 KE Masinga Road
City Centre
29

30
COMMERCE
LIKE THE REST OF SOUTH AFRICA, DURBAN’S
economy consists of a formal and an informal sector. For
a long time ignored, the importance of the informal economy
is finally being recognised by economists as a vital and
inextricable component of the broader economy.
In Durban this recognition is at the centre of city
governance, finance and planning. Once pushed to the
very margins of the city, provision has now been made for
informal traders in the form of shelters, waste removal and
large-scale projects such as the regeneration of the Warwick
Junction area.
Concomitant with this recognition is the need for
regulation; an approach that needs to be balanced with
the abilities of traders to conform with these regulations.
The sheer volume of traders makes this a momentous task
that requires careful consideration without neglecting the
demands of the formal sector.These factors, along with
the large geographical area of the Metro region, mean that
economic activity is defined by diversity.
More than 20% of the formally employed South African
workforce live in Durban, making it one of South Africa’s
key economic engines. The harbour and Durban’s relative
proximity to the major industrial area of Johannesburg has
ensured a solid economic base for the city and the Metro
area. But much manufacturing activity also takes place
within Durban itself. Industrial activity is concentrated in
the South Durban Basin. Here you’ll find Toyota, South
Africa’s largest auto maker, as well as satellite industries
and a large chemical plant. Durban is also the drop-off
point for most of the oil which comes into South Africa;
THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT Like much of the city,
Durban’s central business district went into a slight decline
during the immediate period of transition to democracy. But
now it is as bustling and vibrant as ever, filled with street-traders,
small boutiques and mainstream chainstores, which sit beneath
office blocks that rise into the sky. The CBD is the best place
to view a representative sample of Durban’s inhabitants,
since www.siwelasonke.co.za
commerce is an area in which everybody comes together.
massive oil refineries in South Durban process the oil before
it is pumped to Johannesburg. Other industries are located in
enclaves just north of the city in various industrial parks, and
west of the city in the Queensmead area near Pinetown. Further
west, small, medium and large-scale farming predominates.
The South African economy is undergoing a transformation
that is enabling us to compete more effectively globally. Part of
the process is the reduction of trade tariffs, which has unfortunately
resulted in difficulties for certain industries, such as the large
textile industry which now has to compete with a greater number
of imported goods. When jobs are shed in the formal sector, it
often means that people seek employment in the informal sector.

THE HARBOUR Durban’s economic importance to the Southern
African region is underlined by its massive harbour, the second largest
in the Southern Hemisphere (the largest is Richard’s Bay, 200 kilometres
north of Durban). Until recently the harbour has been entirely industrial,
save for the presence of the BAT Centre in the small craft harbour and
a few bars dotted around its extensive quayside. In the last few years,
however, industry has been pushed back from certain areas in the
harbour, www.siwelasonke.co.za
providing entertainment spots on the water’s edge.
CONFERENCING With the construction and expansion
of the International Convention Centre and the adjacent
Hilton Hotel, Durban has become a global Mecca for a
broad spectrum of conferencing. From the Non-Aligned
Movement to the World Conference on Racism, the ICC
has been instrumental in focusing the international
spotlight on Durban. So, if you’re bored with Acapulco
or Honolulu, suggest Durban as your next conference
venue and treat your colleagues to a convention
experience in the heart of this wonderful African city.
GREY STREET Durban’s Indian quarter, named after the
street that runs through it (now renamed Yusuf Dadoo), is
a favourite shopping experience for Durbanites who prefer
the bustle of the city’s streets to that of the mall. More
importantly, the area offers a vast range of products for
those who can’t afford mall prices. Rich in culture and history,
the centre of the precinct is the Juma Musjid Mosque which
shares its structure with adjacent stores and madressas.
31

RURAL AND SEMI-RURAL DURBAN The Durban Metro Area is extensive
and includes many rural and semi-rural communities. Under apartheid,
these areas had very few commercial spaces and access to little or no
basic services. Part of the challenge of renegotiating and reconstructing
these spaces is ensuring that the people who live there have access,
not only to water and electricity, but also to such modern-day necessities
as bank machines, shopping centres and emergency services.
30% of the Metro population live in rural or semi-rural areas.
32
LOOSE CIGARETTE SELLERS At the heart of the
informal economy is the micro-profit. For those
at the lower end of the economic spectrum, small
amounts of money have a substantial impact. On
the streets of Durban and in its poorer suburbs
and business districts, you will find people selling
individual sweets and loose cigarettes. The markup
on each unit is minimal, but provides a small
but reliable income for thousands of people.
SECOND-HAND SHOPS are popular with a broad range
of Durbanites as decorating styles from earlier decades
swing back into favour. The increasing hype surrounding
retro furniture has meant that prices have begun to rise,
but the second-hand shops of the city and its suburbs are
still ripe for the picking. The retro shop Eclectic, on the
corner of Gordon and Florida Road, is a great source of
items from bygone eras, as well as a glorious assortment
of kitsch, and is used extensively by interior decorators.

GATEWAY Built on 28 hectares of prime Umhlanga
Ridge real estate and comprising 120 000 square metres
of ultra-modern retail space, Gateway Theatre of Shopping
is one of the largest shopping centres in the Southern
Hemisphere. The centre is also the nucleus of the 160hectare
Umhlanga Ridge New Town Centre development.
CONNECTIVITY Although computer literacy in Durban faces
conventional literacy as the first of its challenges, it is imperative
that the digital divide be narrowed for eThekwini to grow in
a global market. Computer colleges populate the city and
internet cafés are easily accessible. Broadband connectivity
is finally here and the price of bandwidth is slowly dropping.
UMHLANGA RIDGE If you drive north up the coast from Durban
and take the turnoff to the Gateway shopping centre, you’ll see a
mass of white 21st Century buildings. This giant new office park
is home to the provincial or national headquarters of many of the
country’s leading companies and multinational corporations. While
there are those who object to the construction of this second CBD
away from the city, the acceleration of development in Durban has
meant that the ever-expanding Umhlanga Ridge development has
not taken place at the expense of Durban’s central business precinct.
Album: When I Grow Up, Fox Hill Lane
33

SHOEMAKERS Craft skills in South Africa were
severely damaged under the restriction of apartheid.
As the new South Africa blooms, craftspeople are
returning to the streets, their skills often informed
by the trickle of people from countries further north.
Shoemakers are a prime example of this, and you
can get shoes fixed while-you-wait all over Durban.
The price is low, the quality is high, and a muchloved
pair of shoes gets to walk once again.
34
MARKETS Many Durbanites buy much of their food from the various
markets in and around Durban. Fish markets, meat markets and fresh
produce markets line the commuter route out of Durban where a
significant number of the city’s residents buy their evening’s provisions
on the way home. On the periphery of the markets, smaller traders sell
all manner of wares from audio cassettes to belts, headache tablets to
loose cigarettes. While the markets are the cheapest source of basic
foodstuffs for working class consumers, middle class Durbanites generally
do their shopping at supermarkets in malls, or at stores near their
homes. Additionally, many pay a substantial premium for organically
grown vegetables produced by small-scale farmers, available at morning
markets and fleamarkets. Increasingly, many of the city’s fleamarkets
also sell a variety of fresh produce and manufactured foodstuffs.
The Markets of Warwick City Guide The Warwick Junction area is one of Durban’s most important commercial
and transit hubs, particularly for the city’s working class, many of whom straddle the urban/rural divide. In Warwick
you’ll find an extraordinary array of human activity which caters to the hundreds of thousands of people who move
through the area each day. Cars roar by overhead on newly built freeways while herbalists sell traditional medicine
on an abandoned fly-over now linked by a footbridge to the activities below. Follow that bridge and you’ll find yourself
in a vibrant, polyphonic world that is home to a mass of commercial and cultural activities, including various markets
which sell everything from blue jeans and farm-fresh produce to religious goods and cooked animal heads. The
eThekwini Municipality has produced a series of City Guide area maps, including one which explores the various
markets of Warwick. Pick up a copy of the Markets of Warwick City Guide at Tourist Junction in the centre of Durban.

Targeting the Townships One of the
most enduring legacies of apartheid
is the existence of racially defined
townships all over South Africa. As well
as enforcing segregation, the townships
also represented pools of surplus labour
whose reliance on the ‘white economy’
was ensured by constructing the townships
without their own economies. This
is one of the central challenges that
Durban faces as a city and as a
Municipality - to help develop and grow
economic activity in these sprawling
residential towns. This also means
that the townships represent vast
potential for business opportunities,
both to residents and outside investors.
Victoria Street Market
This market in the Indian
quarter of Durban has two
floors crammed with curios,
spices and homeware.
Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 8am-
1pm.
+27 31 306 4021
Warwick Avenue Fresh
Produce Market
This market bustles with
activity as vendors ply their
fresh fruit and vegetables
which come from all over the
province.
Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 8am-
1pm.
South Plaza Market
With several hundred stalls,
this market sprawls around the
centrally situated Workshop
shopping centre every Sunday.
Samora Machel Street next to
Durban Exhibition Centre.
Sun 9am-4pm.
+27 31 301 9900
WARWICK AVENUE is a non-stop kaleidoscope of local
culture. Zulu muthi (traditional medicine) sellers ply their
wares on a disused freeway next to the West Street Cemetery
and the tomb of a local Muslim saint. The Early Morning
Market sits at the centre of Warwick, surrounded by all manner
of traders, from the large, neon-lit butchery to the vendors
who sell loose cigarettes and phone calls on battery operated
telephones. Warwick Junction is the busiest intersection in
Durban, fed by a series of bus ranks and a train station. Up
to 500 000 commuters pass through the area each day.
Church Square Market
Open daily, just behind Tourism
Junction, with a large variety
of clothing, sunglasses etc.
Between Commercial Street
and Monty Naicker Road.
Daily 8.30am-4.30pm.
+27 82 451 0744
Essenwood Road Market
Open only on Saturday
morning, this distinctly crafty
market includes a variety of
home-made products and a
range of food and beverages.
Berea Park, Stephen Dlamini
Road. Sat 9am-2pm.
+27 31 208 9916
The Stables
One of Durban’s most
charming markets, The Stables
is open in the evenings on
Wednesdays and Fridays.
291-242 Jacko Jackson Drive.
Wed/Fri 6pm-10pm, Sun
12pm-6pm.
+27 31 301 9900
Markets in Durban
Car Boot Market
It’s amazing what some people
throw away. And amazing what
some people try to sell. A junkcollector’s
dream.
Sundays 7am-1pm.
Mathews Meyiwa Road.
+27 31 209 4751
The Bluff Fleamarket
Arts, crafts, collectibles and junk
are all available at the Bluff
Showgrounds, on the first and
last Saturdays of the month.
And while you’re there, check
out some of the magnificent
beaches on the Bluff.
+27 82 049 8151
Drummond Craft Market
This small market is packed
with locally made art and crafts.
There is also a restaurant and
quick access to the breathtaking
Valley of a Thousand Hills.
Old Main Road, Drummond.
Thurs-Sun 9am-4.30pm.
+27 82 784 9728
35

AS WITH MOST ASPECTS OF LIFE IN DURBAN, THERE
is no specific style that defines the food we eat, although
if you combined Californian, Indian and African cooking,
you might arrive at some vague approximation.
In eThekwini, fusion is the dominant force and eclecticism
the order of the day. The political freedom that arrived in
the ’90s has had a spillover culinary effect and South
African cuisine has blossomed in the last decades, as
minds have opened and the global grocery store has arrived
on our shelves. At the same time, a wide variety of smallscale
local producers have emerged, from cheese sellers
to small organic farmers to local microbreweries, reflecting
the international trend towards recognising food production
as craft rather than industry.
So in Durban you can sample the planet’s menus and
also discover entirely new genres of food. Sushi meets
roti. The burrito meets Zulu spinach. The samoosa encases
a filling of cheese and bacon. And dhall gets poured into
an Italian pasta sauce.
36
EATING
SHISA NYAMA is the isiZulu word for ‘hot meat’, and is a staple of
local African cuisine. The meat, usually chicken or chops, is cooked
to well-done on either a gas-top stove or a fire. Shisa nyama spots
can be found on the streets of Durban and in townships and taxi
ranks, and often form the centre of social activity. And like much
African cuisine, its working class roots in no way discourage the
black middle-class from partaking in the slightly charred meat.
TASTE IT AT: Warwick Junction, City Centre
THE BUNNYCHOW consists of thick, delicious Durban curry
spooned into a hollowed-out half loaf of bread and is widely
thought to have been invented as a response to apartheid.
Under the old dispensation, seating areas in restaurants were
reserved for white people. With takeaways becoming
something of a necessity for most of the population of the
old South Africa, the self-contained bunnychow was invented.
TASTE IT AT: Cocos in Mathews Meyiwa Road, Morningside

THE DURBAN CURRY is the single cuisine that unites Durbanites
across the demographic spread. Hanging out at one of Durban’s
countless curry joints, you’ll find everyone from skater kids to lawyers
to street people who have managed to squeeze some coins together
for that day’s lunch. Imported from India and then made brasher and
hotter, the Durban curry might set your nose running, but it’ll also give
you a taste that you won’t be able to satisfy anywhere else in the world.
TASTE IT AT: Sunrise House of Curries, Morningside
MEALIES ON THE STREET are cooked on a small open
fire or gas-top stove and lightly salted. They provide
cheap, instant nutrition to pedestrians on the move, as
well as an income for the mostly female vendors. If you
take a walk around the city, you might even discover
small gardens of this staple vegetable growing in
marginal spaces and tended by the vendors themselves.
TASTE IT AT: Cnr of Dorothy Nyembe & Dr Goonam Streets
HEAD MARKETS It is true that little goes to waste in
Africa, and this is clearly illustrated by the fact that when
an animal is slaughtered, nothing is thrown away. In
KwaZulu-Natal, inhloko (boiled cow head) is something of
a delicacy. This treat, not for those of even the vaguest
vegetarian persuasion, can be tasted at the Head Restaurant
in Warwick Junction’s Head Market. The head is taken away
for cooking at home or prepared as inhloko isigqokweni
(head on a plate) and accompanied by salt and green chillies.
FIND IT AT: Warwick Junction, City Centre
37

HARILALS SPICE EMPORIUM If it’s in an Eastern
recipe book, chances are that you’ll find it here.
Located at the bottom of Monty Naicker Road,
Harilals is truly an emporium of culinary delight,
and a thoroughly affordable one at that. As well as
a huge selection of dry goods, the store also sells
a large variety of kitchenware, Indian cookbooks,
vegetarian products and Indian devotional items.
FIND IT AT: West end of Monty Naicker Road, City Centre
38
VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS Due to the presence of Durban’s substantial
Hindu population, vegetarians and vegans find themselves extremely well
catered for in Durban. The clutch of Hare Krishna take-aways scattered
around the city offer not only mild curries but also variations on lasagne,
cottage pie, sausage rolls, hamburgers, pizza and more, and every curry
house will have at least one veg option. But even away from Indian cuisine,
you’ll find the city’s restaurants vegetarian-friendly. That said, avoid steakhouses.
FIND IT AT: Little Gujerat, Dr Goonam Street, City Centre
Dinner in the indian quarter The east end of Dr Goonam (Prince Edward) Street
lights up in the early evening on weekdays, with several Indian and Pakistani
restaurants open until about 9pm, accompanied by paan sellers and DVD vendors.
The Indian quarter known as Grey Street, named after the street
that runs through the area (now renamed to Yusuf Dadoo Street)
has a large concentration of restaurants and takeaways.
Unsurprisingly, curry dominates, with a plethora of vegetarian options
available as well as a broad selection of meat-based meals. If Indian
fare isn’t for you, there are a few Pakistani restaurants, as well as
global chains such as Wimpy and KFC. Eating in Grey Street is very
affordable, and has the advantage of having the ingredients of your
next meal for sale just around the corner, where formal stores and
street vendors sell produce at lower prices than anywhere else.

L’EDICOLA ITALIAN DELI is one of Durban’s longest-running delicatessens.
Located on the corner of Problem Mkhize and Clarence Roads,
it’s the place where you’re guaranteed to find all things Italian, as well as
a host of other items on the global fusion menu. Featuring a large variety
of imported cold meats and cheeses, as well as sumptuous ready-made
Italian meals, L’Edicola is the perfect stop-off point when you feel like
treating yourself – or some lucky guests – to a decadent smorgasboard.
Slow food The Durban-Pietermaritzburg Slow Food
convivium, is named ‘Imifino’ after the isiZulu word for the
green leaves of edible plants indigenous to the area. The
convivium is based around Enaleni, in the KZN Midlands.
EVERFRESH has revolutionised grocery shopping in Durban
and its suburbs. While their name seldom lets them
down, the main attraction is the sheer variety of fruit and
veg on display, as well as a cornucopia of cheese and other
dairy products, a butchery and a bakery. A one-stop,
preservative-free grocery experience, Everfresh, which has
recently gone into partnership with Fruit and Veg City
under the brand name of Food Lovers Market, has had a
remarkable impact on many Durbanites’ approach to food.
JOHNNY’S CHIP-INN RANCH is one of Durban’s
definitive dining experiences. Located in the heart of
Overport, Johnny’s sells a large selection of curries in
their various permutations such as bunnychows, rotis
and good old curry-and-rice. Johnny’s is so revered
that its signage has appeared in galleries and there
are more than 5000 members of its facebook group.
FIND IT AT: Corner of Problem Mkhize and Clarence Roads, Greyville FIND IT AT: Moses Kotane Road, Overport
FIND IT: All over Durban
39

EATING OUTDOORS In recent years Durbanites have increasingly taken
to the pavements. Under apartheid town planning, the use of public
space was strictly controlled, and it has taken many years for both the
general public and the city’s restaurants to slowly creep out into the
alfresco pleasures of pavement dining. This movement gained momentum
during the Fifa World Cup, as venues around the city expanded their
seating areas in order to accommodate the increased numbers of patrons.
FIND IT AT: Cafe Jiran, on the northern end of the beachfront promenade
40
Peace For the ultimate in karma-free cuisine, head to the
Temple of Understanding in Chatsworth, where the lavish
structure invites spiritual contemplation and the restaurant
provides sumptuously wholesome food for the body and soul.
FLORIDA ROAD offers some of Durban’s finest restaurants
with new venues opening all the time. One of Morningside’s
leafiest, most picturesque roads, it is becoming something
of a culinary high street for Durban diners. From the relaxed
pavement ambience of Spiga D’Oro to the eastern tastes of
Mo Noodles and Sunrise House of Curries, there’s something
for every palate as well as a good selection of coffee.
FIND IT AT: Florida Road, Morningside
ROMA REVOLVING RESTAURANT A visit to
Durban isn’t really complete without dinner at
the Roma. One of about 30 such structures
around the world, its Italianate decor provides
a surreal contrast to its magnificent views of
Durban. The food is conventional high-end Italian
fare with a sumptuous ’70s style dessert trolley.
FIND IT: on Margaret Mncadi Avenue

Organic Food in Durban The
market for organic food in Durban
is still relatively small, although as
in most places, it is rapidly
expanding as savvy middle-class
consumers increasingly question
the quality of industrially produced
food. Most of the large supermarket
chains have organic ranges,
although there is usually a hefty
premium charged for the privelige.
While many restaurants in Durban
source much of their fresh produce
from organic farmers, only Earth
Mother Organic in Bulwer Road
claims to be completely organic.
In addition to a small restaurant
that makes food so delicious you’d
never think it was healthy, Earth
Mother also has a store which sells
a wide variety of organic home
consumables, from Goji berries
sourced from Tibet to locally
produced face creams and washing
powder. Additionally, Earth Mother
also has a regular supply of organic
fruit and veg. But while the organic
sector is still small, the quality of
fresh produce is particularly
high, since most of it is sourced
from small-scale, farmers who use
non-intensive farming methods.
Moyo
1 Bell Street
uShaka Village Walk
+27 31 332 0606
Johnny’s Chip-Inn
Ranch
88 Moses Kotane
Road, Overport
+27 31 209 2020
Roma Revolving
Restaurant
32nd Floor John Ross
House
Victoria Embankment
+27 31 368 2275
Café 1999
Shop 2 Silvervause
Centre
117 Vause Road
Berea
+27 31 202 3406
Craft
35 Newport Avenue
Durban North
+27 31 562 1951
A NEW AFRICAN CUISINE is beginning to exercise an influence
on Durban’s eateries. The bunnychow has begun to appear in upmarket
restaurants, and South African classics such as pap-en-vleis,
koeksisters, samp-and-beans and Durban curry have all arrived,
finally unembarrassed, on our tables in restaurants such as
Moyo. Also providing a unique local flavour is the presence
of game and African meats such as ostrich and crocodile.
TASTE IT AT: Moyo, uShaka Marine World, Durban Point
Buds on the Bay
Bayhead Park C
30 Grunter’s Gully
+27 31 466 6100
Bel Punto
1 South Beach Road
Umdloti Beach
+27 31 568 2407
Arts Café
166 Bulwer Road
Glenwood
+27 31 201 9969
Vintage India
20 Lilian Ngoyi Road
Morningside
+27 31 309 1328
Daruma
63 Snell Parade
Durban Beach Front
+27 31 337 0423
The Cargo Hold
1 Bell Street
uShaka Marine World
+27 31 328 8065
China Plate
11 Browns Drift Road
Riverside
+27 31 564 6437
Cake & Satay House
Albert Ndlomo Road
Umbilo
+27 82 716 3793
Delfi
386 Lilian Ngoyi Road
Morningside
+27 31 312 7032
Bangkok Wok
116 Florida Road
Morningside
+27 31 303 8250
Spiga D’Oro
200 Florida Road
Morningside
+27 31 303 9511
Joop’s Place
9th Avenue
Greyville
+27 31 312 9135
Restaurants
Palki
225 Musgrave Road
Berea
+27 31 201 0019
Mo’s Noodles
275 Florida Road
Morningside
+27 31 312 4193
9th Avenue Bistro
9th Avenue
Morningside
+27 31 312 9134
Market
40 Gladys Mazibuko
Road, Berea
+27 31 309 8581
Czar
178 Florida Road
Morningside
+27 31 312 8001
Little Gujerat
107 Dr Goonam Street
City Centre
+27 31 306 2272
41

AS IS THE CASE WITH MANY AFRICAN CITIES, DURBAN’S
architectural history reflects that of its colonial predecessors.
Yet the City’s expansion over the years has been sufficiently
consistent to ensure that it now showcases a wide diversity
of architectural forms. From its Edwardian and Victorian
beginnings, more than 150 years of global architectural
trends have been compressed into a single city. And as
the new South Africa crystalises, a new architectural voice
is heard singing a beautiful local language.
In 2008 Durban won the bid to host the World Architecture
Conference taking place in 2014, giving the city a chance
to showcase its eclectic architecture and the complex
demands made on architects in South Africa.
Although taking place on a far smaller scale than the
2010 Fifa World Cup, this prestigious event will enhance
Durban’s profile on the global stage, while the uniquely
layered nature of the City will no doubt impact on the
minds and output of architects around the world in the
coming decades.
42
BUILDING
LAS VEGAS stands as a monument to another time that never quite
existed in Durban. Probably the city’s strongest reference to BRAZILIAN
MODERNISM, the luxurious building (only three apartments per
floor) converts the notion of the residential highrise into a thing of
free-form beauty filled with idiosyncratic detailing. Its stone-walled
lobby alone is a piece of anachronistic delight that the international
design set would die for. The building was designed by Benjamin
and Croft, an architectural firm that built many of Durban’s most
meticulously designed buildings, including Westpoint and The Riviera.
See it at: 276 Suncoast Drive, Beachfront
ART DECO BUILDINGS Durban has one of the world’s largest
concentrations of art deco buildings. One of the few
architectural styles in which the detailing is incorporated
absolutely into the design, this deco legacy is one of the most
well-loved aspects of Durban’s architectural heritage. The
detailing is often infused with local symbolism. BEREA COURT
and Surrey Mansions are two of the most striking examples.
See it at: 3 Hunt Rd, Glenwood

THE FASCIST ARCHITECTURE of apartheid South
Africa still marks the landscape in much of
Durban, including the Mansfield campus of the
Durban University of Technology, CR SWART
SQUARE and the Durban Station. The forms are
vast and blunt in their design, although the sheer
scale and brutal aesthetic appeals to some. These
buildings often had political overtones and
functions. The police residences next to CR Swart
Police Station, for example, were built with the
explicit but unspoken purpose of swelling a leftwing
area with conservative National Party voters.
Durban Station, which used to be the City’s most
brutal example of fascist architecture has slowly
undergone a facelift in recent years, and is now
a much friendlier and more welcoming space.
See it at: 3 Stalwart Simelane Rd, City Centre
THE JUMA MUSJID MOSQUE in Yusuf Dadoo Street is one of the largest
mosques in the Southern Hemisphere. Also known as the GREY STREET
MOSQUE, it represents a spiritual centre for Durban’s Muslims. It was
built in 1930, and together with Madressa Arcade which runs through
it, replaced the original series of buildings that had popped up with the
arrival of non-indentured Indians in Durban in the late 1800s. The
mosque is actually a series of interlinking buildings, arcades and corridors,
in which commerce, religion and community exist in equilibrium.
See it at: 176 Yusuf Dadoo Street, the Indian Quarter
The Durban Art Deco Society was formed in 2002 to raise awareness of the
rich diversity of art deco architectural styles that exist in the city and to attract
the annual International Art Deco Conference to Durban. In addition, the society
aims to highlight the importance of preserving art deco buildings in eThekwini.
The Society run regular tours exploring aspects of Durban’s deco heritage.
Contact Helen Labuschagne for further information on +27 31 301 1951.
ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY’S CITY ARCHITECTS effectively constitute Durban’s largest interdisciplainary
firm of architects, urban designers, quantity surveyors and engineers. The department is responsible for the delivery
of Municipal-owned building infrastructure, as well as the refurbishment of key historical landmarks, the development
of the ICC and the ICC Arena as well as social, cultural and sporting facilities in Durban’s outlying areas. The
department’s portfolio includes a broad range of projects, including built structures and strategic projects.
43

THE KENDRA HALL While easily identified as a Hindu temple – particularly
when it is draped in festive lights – the John Zikhali Road mandir is an
unusual structure, and very different to the multitude of temples you will
see around Durban, which are mostly South Indian in origin. The mandir
is built from a North Indian architectural perspective and incorporates
symbolic elements such as flowering lotuses as part of its structure, rather
than using them decoratively as is more often the case.
See it at: 5 John Zikhali Road, Central Durban See it at: 430 Dr Pixley KaSema Street
44
AMAFA Durban is a young city, and as such, all structures
older than 60 years are protected by heritage legislation
which requires a permit from heritage body Amafa before
any demolitions, alterations or additions may take place.
THE WAREHOUSES ON THE POINT , built between 1890
and 1919, are a fine and representative group of Victorian
structures and point to a time when remarkable attention
was paid to the design and detailing of even the most functional
buildings. As the Point is upgraded and developed, these
buildings, as well as the Victorian wood-and-iron houses
behind them, have been getting a well deserved face-lift.
See it at: 280-430 Mahatma Gandhi Street, The Point
THE CENTRAL POST OFFICE was originally built
as a town hall but by the early 20th Century it had
been converted to serve its current function. This
was before the age of the skyscraper, and the Post
Office and the new City Hall were then the defining
elements of Durban’s skyline. Today they are dwarfed
by the highrise construction of the CBD.

DESIGN WORKSHOP : SA are the celebrated
architects of the CONSTITUTIONAL COURT in
Johannesburg. Practising from a converted
apartment building in Durban’s Florida Road,
Design Workshop’s portfolio of work includes
innovative newtown renovations,
airports and a host of awardwinning
commercial, institutional
and residential properties.
www.designworkshopsa.com
A NEW AFRICAN ARCHITECTURE is emerging from firms
such as EAST COAST ARCHITECTS who resist the pressure
from consumers and developers alike to produce globally
generic housing estates. The focus is on local content, form
and references, and from this starting point
a new aesthetic is born. A celebrated example
of their work is Inthuthuka Junction, a
multipurpose structure in Cato Manor.
See it at: 759 Rick Turner Road
THE MOSES MABHIDA STADIUM ’s iconic form is the result of a tender
competition won by a consortium which includes local architects THEUNISSEN
JANKOWITZ DURBAN and national firm OSMOND LANGE. The world-class
stadium’s 150m high arch is an integral structural element which provides
the support for the cable net of the suspension roof structure. The arch
sports stairs and a cable car, allowing visitors an incredible view of the city.
The stadium was built with the future in mind, both in terms of the Olympics,
and in terms of sustainable design, which includes optimal use of energy
and natural light, rainwater collection and re-using 30 000 cubic
metres of concrete from the demolished stadium which preceded it.
See it at: Isaiah Ntshange Road, off Masabala Yengwa Avenue
45

THE KING SHAKA INTERNATIONAL ARIPORT at La Mercy was designed
by OSMOND LANGE ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERS in collaboration with
several local firms including RUBEN REDDY ARCHITECTS (pictured). Plans
for the airport were first mooted in the early ’70s and finally got underway
in 2006, after studies showed that the existing airport would not be able
to cope with future air traffic. On 1 May 2010, the region’s new airport
was opened after a spectularly swift construction process. It will be able
to process 7,5 million passengers a year, as well as alleviating pressure
on the Durban-Johannesburg route by freighting cargo directly out of the
country. The airport is the central hub in the DUBE TRADE
PORT, a long-term planning initiative that will massively
stimulate the region and provide employment for hundreds
of thousands of people over the next two decades.
See it at: King Shaka International Airport, La Mercy
46
CHOROMANSKI ARCHITECTS are the recent
winners of a competition to design the Pan
African Parliament buildings. The firm’s style
is defined by a design-driven practice which
seeks appropriate regional
solutions to building in South
Africa. The firm also designed
the inspiring Interpretation
Centre in the Isimangaliso area.
The KwaZulu-Natal Institute for Architecture is a voluntary organisation that was founded in 1901. One
of 8 regional institutes of the South African Institute of Architects, the KZNIA represents the interests of architects,
architectural practioners, the public and the built environment. It is an active organisation with a key interest in
regional and local developments. Every two years the KZNIA confers Awards of Merit on well designed and critically
acclaimed projects in the Province. More recently the organisation, under the auspices of the South African Institute
of Architects, won the bid to host the world’s largest congress of architects, the UIA Congress, in Durban in 2014.

The 2014 UIA Architecture World
Congress will take place in four years
time. In 2008, the South African
Institute of Architects presented a
successful bid in Turin, Italy, to host
the prestigious International Union
of Architects Congress in Durban
in 2014. The UIA (Union Internationale
des Architectes) Congress
and General Assembly is held every
three years and member sections
bid for the privilege of hosting the
event. The selection is made six
years in advance. Representing 1.3
million architects, the main objective
of the Congress is to provide
architects with an opportunity to
participate in a series of culturally
and professionally enriching events.
The UIA is a non-governmental
organisation uniting the professional
associations of architects in over
116 countries internationally.
Around 7 000 architects from
around the world will attend the
Congress in Durban, in a global
festival of architecture and its
possibilities, particularly in the
context of a developing city which
serves such an economically
and socially diverse population.
Design Workshop: SA
94 Florida Road
Morningside
+27 31 303 5191
Theunissen Jankowitz
14 Glenridge Road
Westville
+27 31 266 8386
Osmond Lange
6 Palm Boulevard
Umhlanga
+27 31 266 0751
Architecture Fabrik
3 Bergthiel Place
Westville
+27 83 366 3478
Emmett Emmett
362 Lilian Ngoyi Rd
Morningside
+27 31 312 6498
Seitter Boyd
10a Princess Anne Place
Glenwood
+27 31 261 6233
HARBER & ASSOCIATES Long a stalwart of social architecture
in South Africa, Rodney Harber’s practice has been a key firm
in setting the benchmark for a humanitarian architectural
agenda in eThekwini and beyond. From Maputaland to the
former Transkei, Harber has been instrumental in developing
community centres and low-cost housing
models, his practice always centred on the
participation of those who will actually use
the structures and spaces that he designs.
Seen here: Gandhi’s house in Phoenix
Choromanski Architects
490 Lillian Ngoyi Road
Greyville
+27 31 303 2985
Elphick Proome
Westway Office Park
Westville
+27 31 275 5800
Paton Taylor
892 Umgeni Road
Stamford Hill
+27 31 313 1071
Architronic
1 Meyrick Ave
Glenwood
+27 31 201 3933
Studio 88
23 Arcadia Road
Overport
+27 31 207 6571
Bruce Clark Associates
152 JB Marks Road
Glenwood
+27 31 201 5909
Architecture Firms
Stauch Vorster
10 Intersite Avenue
Umgeni Park
+27 31 263 8200
GAPP
11 Cranbrook Crescent
Umhlanga
+27 31 566 5547
MAB Ikhwezi
76 Valley View Road
Morningside
+27 31 303 2833
Harber & Associates
PO Box 50062
Musgrave
+27 31 209 8384
Sakhisizwe
16 Soltice Road
Umhlanga Ridge
+27 31 566 6962
Robert Johnson Architect
127 Stephen Dlamini Road
Musgrave
+27 31 201 3538
47

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING THAT IS
is perfectly representative of Durban design you’ll be
disappointed, since no single object can express the
multiplicity of perspectives that combine to produce
something that is unmistakably but intangibly Durban. And
that thing is defined more by the smell of the air and the
vibrancy and edginess of the city’s streets than by any kind
of unifying ethos.
In a country with 11 official languages and only partial
literacy, it’s not surprising that in Durban visual culture
reigns supreme. In recent years, a culture of local design
has blossomed in South Africa. This is partially due to the
fact that many local designers have received the prestige
of international recognition, but also due to a change in
the attitude of South African consumers who are finally
eschewing international designs in favour of a local idiom.
As such, local design and interior shops which used to
focus almost exclusively on imports, now showcase a
variety of locally inspired output, some of it echoing
international trends. but the bulk of it executed in a fresh
and everchanging design language.
48
DESIGN
BARBER SHOP SIGNS As the nature of Durban’s streets began
to change after 1994, pavement barber shops started popping
up all over eThekwini, accompanied by often beautifully painted
BARBER SHOP SIGNS. The most recognised
exponent of this much loved genre of illustration
is BRUNO BIHIZA, a Congolese refugee who has
since taken his illustration skills to London.
SEE IT: in the centre of town
BEADWORK in Durban has evolved substantially in the last
decade, particularly as skilled artists from neighbouring countries
have filtered into Durban to sell their wares on the city’s streets.
No longer restricted to Zulu love letters and
keychains, beadworkers such as JACQUES
SENGEYA produce a large variety of beaded
objects from decorative animals to light fittings.
SEE IT: at Avonmore Centre, Greyville

THE PAINTED BUSES If you’re a pedestrian or a driver, a quick look
at one of the hundreds of beautifully decorated buses is enough to
brighten your day. Filled with humour, irreverence, kitsch and spirituality,
many of these buses are painted by NISHAL RAMDHIN.
A pioneer of automotive brush art, his mobile art is
seen all over Durban. This love of customisation is also
evident in the designs of the city’s countless taxis.
SEE IT: on the streets of Durban
CHRISTIAN MUGNAI is an artist, designer and illustrator
whose work is strongly influenced by the cultural and
visual diversity of eThekwini and expressed in a graphic
language with universal appeal. Says
Mugnai, “I feel the real purpose of my art
is to share with the world a little of what
inspires me in everyday life here in Durban.”
www.flickr.com/photos/mugnaiart
HAND-PAINTED SIGNAGE is something that is disappearing
in this age of digital reproduction. But it survives in small
pockets of Durban, and ironically, has once again become
popular with local graphic designers. SLIM
does the signage for Johnny’s Chip Inn Ranch
whose ‘specials’ boards are cult items and
have even made it into local art galleries.
SEE IT: at Johnnys in Sparks Road, Overport
49

MR WALKER Browse through a few international
design journals and you’ll often come across the
name GARTH WALKER. Walker is a world class
design authority who previously headed Orange
Juice Design and whose new agency
MR WALKER continues to reflect
the graphic polyphony of Durban’s
visually rich streets in a single vision.
www.misterwalkerdesign.com
NOKWAKHA KHOBA is one of the many SEAMSTRESSES
whose African-style dresses are sold on the streets of Durban,
and which form an integral part of the domestic fashion cycle.
These dresses, made in African fabric, reflect
the Victorian styles of European colonialists.
At the same time they inform contemporary
fashion and are, in turn, influenced by it.
SEE IT: Dr Goonam Street, City Centre
50
NOBELUNGU NGCOBO is a traditional beadworker who is gradually making
a transition to artist and businesswoman. Ngcobo heads the Gcina Cooperative
with the support of the Municipality’s Inanda/KwaMashu/Ntuzuma
area-based management programme. Although her core
business is jewellery based on Zulu designs, she has started
to produce more pictorially based work, including a number
of soccer-based designs to cater for the World Cup.
SEE IT: at the annual SMME Business Fair

EGG DESIGNS is an interior and product design company headed by GREG
and ROCHÉ DRY. Egg have designed interiors and furniture for an array of
local clients, as well as lighting their gorgeously idiosyncratic fires around the
world. Having won acclaim at international
design shows, they now supply their
product ranges to New York, Hong Kong and
beyond, as well as catering to the local market.
www.eggdesigns.co.za
Making local, selling global The rise of globalism has meant
that the market for local craft and design has radically increased.
While global trade isn’t always mutually beneficial, for talented
local crafters and entrepreneurs it’s a win-win situation.
RICHARD STRETTON produces high-end, hand-crafted
objects as diverse as beds, buildings and breadboards. And
while his pared down designs might have more than a little
Zen about them, they are forged in an aesthetic
and culture of functionality that is essentially
African. Stretton’s work includes the new MOYO
restaurant on the end of a newly built pier.
www.koopdesign.co.za
CLINTON NAIDOO & MARKLYN GOVENDER are
master MEHNDI artists. Using henna paste, delicate
patterns are painted on the hands and feet. While
mehndi has a
special place at
Indian weddings, it
is also worn as
virtual jewellery.
51

DISTURBANCE are an independent design agency and masters of
their craft. With RICHARD HART, ROGER JARDINE and SUZIE HART at
the helm, the team produces award-winning, illustration-rich work.
Their most memorable output includes their campaigns for the Durban
International Film Festival, and Sheet, a legendary
Durban fanzine. The work that is shown here are three
of a series of CITY GUIDE fold-out maps that disturbance
produced for the eThekwini Municipality.
52
www.disturbance.co.za
RAJEEN RAMDUTH is one of the TAILORS OF
GREY STREET who are famous in South Africa for
their skills in suit-making. Many clothing
connoisseurs choose the tailors of the Indian
quarter over well-known designers
while their skills are often used
by designers themselves, when
precision tailoring is required.
SEE IT: in Yusuf Dadoo Street
NANDA SOOBBEN is one of Durban’s most unsung talents.
A gifted artist and graphic designer, he is one of South Africa’s
leading political cartoonists. In addition, he is opening doors
for young new South African design talent
with his Centre for Fine Art, Animation and
Design. Soobben recently received an
Honourary Doctorate from Rhodes University.
www.cfad.co.za

I HEART MARKET is a roving market
which showcases a variety of local
designers and crafters, many of whom
are riding the 21st century trend of handwork
and customised design. With great
coffee and a selection of mouthwatering
home-made foods available, this market
is also something of a social occasion.
www.iheartmarket.blogspot.com
Advertising Agencies
Ogilvy Durban
76 Mahatma Ghandi Road
Durban
031 334 5600
Whalley & Associates
63 Lillian Ngoyi Road
Morningside
031 303 2871
TBWA Hunt Lascaris Durban
Nelson Road
Westville
031 267 6600
The Hardy Boys
10 Hippo Park Ave
River Horse Valley East
031 533 9000
Flagship Communications
20 - 26 Hurst Grove
Musgrave
031 202 8401
O’Donoghue & Associates
Advertising
641 Peter Mokaba Road
Berea
031 208 6166
Design & Advertising
Design Agencies
Disturbance Design
22 Prains Avenue
Berea
031 202 0052
Egg Designs
Private Bag x1003
Botha’s Hill 3660
031 783 4953
Mister Walker Design
33 Churchill Road
Stamford Hill
031 312 0572
Koop Design
200 Montpelier Road
Morningside
031 303 3922
Artworks Communications
30 Steel Rd
Morningside
031 303 6466
The Fire Tree Design
Company
Westway Office Park
Westville
031 265 0050
Printers
Ellison Printing Company
124 Sandile Thusi Road
Morningside
031 312 4236
Impress Printers
142 Intersite Avenue
Umgeni Business Park
031 263 2755
Atlas Printers
71 Marseilles Crescent
Briardene Industrial Park
031 570 8600
ACME Printing Works
435 Umgeni Road
Durban
031 309 8255
Aim Print
9 Beechfield Crescent
Springfield Park
031 579 5577
Universal Print Group
72 Stanhope Place
Briardene
031 560 2100
The Durban Station in Umgeni
Road is home to a wealth of
beautifully designed indigenous
objects, including an ever
evolving catalogue of shoe
designs, ingeniously constructed
from unlikely offcuts and waste
material. The shoes you see
here are made mostly from
recycled tyres and tyre offcuts.
53

DURBAN HAS A RICH LITERARY HISTORY
which has contributed greatly to the cultural and
intellectual life of South Africa. From the relentless
activism and intellectual rigour of Dennis Brutus’
writing to the fervent cry for awareness, compassion
and equality that is at the heart of Gcina Mhlophe’s
work, the literature of Durban is one of the most
complete records of the culture of protest and
activism that is an essential element of Durban’s
broader landscape.
Of course, Durban is also a land of fantasy and
imagination, nostalgia and memory, and the works
of younger writers such as Bridget McNulty whose
magical realism has exploded on the web and John
van der Ruit who has enjoyed enormous success
with the Spud series, show that well-told stories
that capture the popular imagination will always
find their readers.
54
WRITING
JOHN VAN DE RUIT made literary history in South Africa
with the runaway success of his novel Spud, forever dispelling
the notion that local novels can’t compete with blockbuster
imports such as JK Rowling. With sales of the first
book moving towards two hundred thousand copies,
two sequels and a movie starring John Cleese, the modest
Van de Ruit, who is also an actor, has much to smile about.
Read: Spud, Learning to Fly, The Madness Continues
DENNIS BRUTUS was one of Africa’s most influential poets, as well
as an activist, educator and journalist. The driving force behind the
apartheid sports boycott, he was imprisoned on Robben Island for 16
months in the cell next to Nelson Mandela. Brutus spent most of his
life fighting inequity, both during apartheid and after the liberation
of South Africa. In 2008, he was awarded a Lifetime Honourary Award
by the Department of Arts and Culture. Brutus died in 2009.
Read: Sirens, Knuckles and Boots, Poetry & Protest

IMRAAN COOVADIA writes novels that span the globe, much like
the life of the writer himself. Coovadia has lived in London,
Melbourne, Boston and New York – but always holds Durban in his
heart. Coovadia recently won the 2010 University of Johannesburg
Prize for Creative Writing in English for his latest novel High Low
In-between. He is currently working on a new novel, Witchcraft, set
in Durban, which focuses on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa.
Read: The Wedding, Green Eyed Thieves, High Low In-between
TIME OF THE WRITER is an annual international
festival of writing which is presented by the University
of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts. Every year,
more than 20 writers from around the world are
involved in a variety of readings, presentations, panel
discussions and debates, giving audience members a
rare public glimpse of the inner world of writing.
www.cca.ukzn.ac.za/totw
GCINA MHLOPHE is one of Durban’s most iconic literary
talents. A gifted performer and writer, there is something in
Mhlophe that is quintessentially eThekwini; in her hardness
and softness and in the fervour and honesty with which she
expresses herself. Mhlophe’s breakthrough work Have You
Seen Zandile put her on an award-winning career path that
is intimately linked to the people and landscape of KZN.
Read: Love Child, Have You Seen Zandile?
55

BRIDGET MCNULTY is the perfect example of a new generation of
writers whose printed matter works in tandem with digital media such
as blogging and tweeting. McNulty didn’t have a hard time persuading
Penguin to publish her magical debut novel, but she ensured its success
and established herself as a strong South African voice through an ongoing
digital media campaign. She was recently diagnosed with diabetes,
and has earned additional acclaim for her writing on the subject.
Read: Strange Nervous Laughter
56
Ike’s Bookstore in Greyville is central to the literary history of Durban.
Started by the late Ike Mayet, a celebrated local activist, Ike’s is a book store
in the classic mould, with a strong collection of Africana and first editions.
POETRY AFRICA is a week-long celebration of poetry
hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for
Creative Arts. A sister event to Time of the Writer, the
festival features poets from all over the world participating
in an array of readings, panel discussions and workshops.
www.cca.ukzn.ac.za/poetryafrica
KZN Literary Tourism started life as a National Research Foundation
project at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and has since grown to become
the main documenter of literary heritage in the province. The organisation
relies on strategic partnerships with the eThekwini Municipality, sponsorship
from business and grants from the National Arts Council to produce a
series of writers trails, along with accompanying physical and online
documents. KZN Writers Trails include Paton’s Pietermaritzburg, the Grey
Street Writers Trail, the Cato Manor Writers Trail and, most recently, the
Midlands Writers Trail, which has just been launched.

City Paper eThekwini Municipality
publishes the newspaper Ezasegagasini
Metro every two weeks as a means of
engaging directly with the residents
and ratepayers of eThekwini. In
addition to providing news about
significant municipal events and their
impact on people’s lives, the publication
also serves as a space to publish
tenders and other documents that are
legally required to be published.
Exclusive Books
Shop 339/340
Pavilion Shopping
Centre, Westville
+27 31 265 0454
Last Chance Books
134 Helen Joseph
Road, Glenwood
+27 31 202 8931
Adams Booksellers
& Stationers
Musgrave Centre
Berea
+27 31 319 4450
Ike’s Books &
Collectables
48a Florida Road
Morningside
+27 31 303 9214
KOBUS MOOLMAN is one of Durban’s most acclaimed poets
and playwrights. His writing is clear and precise with a
remarkable emotional power that doesn’t pander to sentiment.
Moolman won the 2001 Ingrid Jonker prize for his debut
poetry collection Time Like Stone and has gone on to win
several other awards, including a Pansa Jury Prize for Best
Script for his play Full Circle, which premiered in 2005 at
Grahamstown. Currently teaching at the University of KwaZulu-
Natal, Moolman is also a respected and sensitive literary critic.
Read: Full Circle, Time Like Stone, Light and After
Books & Books
Shop 42
Kensington Square
Durban North
+27 31 563 6288
Cum Books
Shop 201a, Pavilion
Shopping Centre
Westville
+27 31 265 0881
Pro Visions Books
37f Bram Fischer
(Ordnance) Road
Durban City
+27 31 337 2112
Book Base
275 Florida Road
Morningside
+27 31 312 3555
ABC Bookshop
Gateway Shopping
Centre
Umhlanga Ridge
+27 31 566 2762
Premier Book
Bazaar
149 Joe Slovo
Street, City Centre
+27 31 306 2914
Chapter Two -
Waterfall
25 Waterfall Shopping
Centre, Waterfall
+27 31 764 2462
Coniston Books
111 Helen Joseph
Road, Glenwood
+27 31 202 1228
Book Stores
Msasa Books
Shop 22 Village
Centre
Hillcrest
+27 31 765 4946
Great Books
14 Granada Centre
Umhlanga Rocks
+27 83 321 7872
Kloof & Highway
SPCA Book Store
Village Road
Kloof
+27 31 764 1212
Sherwood Books
1 Derby Place
Westville
+27 31 266 9830
57

IN THE LAST HALF DECADE SOUTH AFRICAN ARTISTS
have arrived squarely on the international art scene, with
local artists fetching record prices and showing their work
around the world. Many of the country’s leading artists hail
from Durban, and the city’s role as a nurturer of talent
contributes greatly to the creative life of South Africa.
A tour of Durban’s galleries will expose you to an eclectic
range of creative output that is often very close to the
edges of contemporary fine art. From the baroque beauty
of the Durban Art Gallery to the contemporary spaces of
the KZNSA and ArtSpace Durban, the works on show will
expand your experience of Durban in many wonderful
ways. Additionally, restaurants in the city showcase the
work of local artists, while crafters and artists from Southern
Africa and beyond sell exquisite and often idiosyncratic
creations on the city’s visually rich streets. Barber Shop
art is ubiquitous on the pavements of eThekwini, while
many of our buses and taxis have taken the Indian notion
of decorating a vehicle to the airbrushed max.
58
ART
THEMBA SHIBASE works within an overtly political context,
exploring notions of the cultural self, always locating the individual
experience within the larger political context. In this way his
work questions concepts such as whiteness,
blackness, Zuluness and maleness. In his deftly
constructed paintings, he seems to reduce history
to a series of endlessly revolving power figures.
www.artslant.com
ANDREW VERSTER is one of South Africa’s foremost artists,
highly regarded for his drawings, prints and paintings. His work
has always expressed the lush and tropical atmosphere of Durban,
from its vegetation to its beaches and surfers.
Having risen to fame in the ’60s, Verster continues
to produce work at a prodigious rate, and has
recently expanded into wardrobe and set design.
www.andrewverster.co.za

AMY-JO WINDT makes work that combines art-brutishness with
an inverted exploration of identity and representation. Currently
working in collage, video animation and installations, Windt's simple
distortion of perspective and proportion is tinged
with a joyful menace. There is an inherent strangeness
to her work that, combined with its pop sensibility,
marks Windt's idiom as one that is entirely her own.
www.kznsagallery.co.za/archive_windt.htm
BRONWEN VAUGHAN-EVANS works mainly by painting
black gesso paint over white gesso and scratching away
to reveal the surface beneath. From her first solo exhibition
– a collection of 101 paintings that constitute the
polycultural reality of her life in Durban – Vaughan-Evans
has dramatically expanded her canvas,
rendering lifesize portraits of her
friends and intimates, as well as drawing
on the small details of everyday life.
www.vaughan-evans.co.za
DINEO BOPAPE represents a dissection of stories past
and present, her own and those of others; stories belonging
to objects and to people. For Bopape the private realm is
a manifestation of what occurs in public.
She is intrigued, she says, by the angst of
the mundane, “the discomforts that we feel
secretly in our socks and our sweaty palms”.
www.seshee.blogspot.com
59

ANGELA BUCKLAND is an award-winning photographer whose artistic
work deals with the supposedly ordinary, but which she consistently
imbues with a certain magic. She rejects the term ‘documentary’ to
describe her approach to photography, suggesting
that her images are more about emotional resonance
than hard objective facts. Buckland was the recipient
of the Daimler Chrysler Prize for Fine Art in 2004.
www.angelabucklandphotography.com
LANGA MAGWA works with traditional Zulu
forms and materials, often twisting and renarrating
their conceptual and historical
threads and playing with scale and marks of
identity. At the same time, respect for his
heritage and ancestry form
an integral part of his work.
Magwa’s work is found in
many national collections.
www.nu.ac.za/cca
60
ZANELE MUHOLI is a renowned photographer
whose work celebrates the lives of black lesbian
women, in the process challenging the historic
portrayal of black female bodies.
In a few short years, Muholi has had
a remarkable impact, both on the
art scene and the broader culture.
www.zanelemuholi.com

DANNY NOVELA walks the streets of Durban
carrying his beautifully carved sculptures. His work
consists mostly of abstracted carvings of the poorer
people of Southern Africa. While there are other
wood artists who produce
similar work, there are few who
manage to imbue their creations
with such a resonant feeling of life.
Find Danny on Florida Road
DOUNG JAHANGEER engages with marginalised people
and spaces in urban Durban. Rather than partipating in
political condescension, Jahangeer finds a genuine and
carefully considered aesthetic in the lives and architectures
of the poor. Using discarded objects and his own magical
visual style, he opens up doors between
parallel worlds. Jahangeer won the
comission for this public sculpture in the
Ellis Park precinct in Johannesburg.
www.dala.org.za
VAUGHN SADIE ’s work has a remarkable depth and maturity, suggesting
the work of an artist decades older. Filled with conceptual and visual
jokes, his work is at the same time bathed in a yearning melancholy and
informed by centuries of art history and theory. His
pieces, which are always immacuately executed, often
have a pop accessibility to them, but even the simplest
works contain densely compressed layers of meaning.
www.vaughnsadie.net
61

MICHAEL MACGARRY is concerned with the residues of colonialism and
imperialism that continue to define artistic and social reality in Africa. His
work deftly compares the construction of artistic forms and meaning in the
colonising West to those of the colonised countries. MacGarry,
who currently works in Johannesburg, won the 2010
Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Fine Art, one of the
most prestigious accolades in the South African art world.
www.alltheorynopractice.com
62
ANDRIES BOTHA is an internationally acclaimed
sculptor. While never abandoning specificity, Botha
often goes for the big subjects, conceptually, and
physically. This is particularly the case with his current
body of work, which consists of an extended family
of lifesize elephants. These remarkable pieces led to
Botha launching the Human Elephant
Foundation, which aims to influence
social change through the power
of imagination and creativity.
www.andriesbotha.net
SIMMI DULLAY grew up in exile in Denmark and returned
to South Africa at the beginning of the ’90s. That return
was fraught with contradictions and Dullay’s art reflects
the polycultural and often paradoxical strands that constitute
her identity on a global stage, both in terms of how she
sees herself and how she is constructed
by others. Working in a range of media,
Dullay’s work is informed by her highly
personalised blend of politics and theory.
www.simmidullay.com

Art in the City’s Public Buildings
Complementing the collection of the
Durban Art Gallery, the eThekwini
Municipality has comissioned artworks
for the Moses Mabhida Stadium and the
Albert Luthuli International Convention
Centre. In this way, visitors to the city
get an instant snapshot of the creative
output of Durban and South Africa.
Durban Art Gallery
City Hall, 32 Anton
Lembede Street
+27 31 311 2264/9
ArtSpace Durban
3 Millar Road
off Umgeni Road
+27 31 312 0793
The KZNSA Gallery
166 Bulwer Road
Glenwood
+27 31 277 1705
African Art Centre
94 Florida Road
Morningside
+27 31 312 3804/5
The Bat Centre
Small Craft Harbour,
off Margaret Mncadi
Avenue
+27 31 332 0451
Artisan
344 Florida Road
Morningside
+27 31 312 4364
Fat Tuesday
5 Bellevue Road
Kloof
+27 31 717 2785
Gallery 415
415 Umgeni Rd
Greyville
+27 31 309 6401
Kizo Art Gallery
Palm Boulevard
Gateway, Umhlanga
+27 31 566 4322
Phansi Museum
500 Esther Roberts
Road
Glenwood
+27 31 206 2889
Tamasa Gallery
36 Overport Drive
Overport
+27 31 207 1223
The Collective
48b Florida Road
Greyville
+27 31 303 4891
Crouse Art Gallery
254 Lilian Ngoyi Road
Morningside
+27 31 312 2315
Elizabeth Gordon
120 Florida Road
Greyville
+27 31 303 8133
DUT Art Gallery
Durban University of
Technology, Steve
Biko Campus
+27 31 373 2207
Galleries
Imbizo Gallery
Ballito Lifestyle Centre
Ballito
+27 32 946 1937
Alliance française
22 Sutton Cresent
Morningside, Durban
+27 31 312 9582
Stepping Stone
Studios/Art Room
3 Chartwell Centre
Chartwell Drive
Umhlanga Rocks
+27 31 561 6762
also: 258 Florida
Road, Morningside
+27 31 303 3193
also: Shop 12a
Maytime Centre,
Charles Way, Kloof
+27 31 764 0222
THE DURBAN ART GALLERY ’s collection ranges
from historical paintings to anonymous beadwork
to the works of internationally recognised artists
such as Andrew Verster and Trevor Makhoba.
Under the curatorship of Jenny Stretton, who has
been Acting Director for the last few years,
exhibitions and acquisitions have reflected the
rich multicultural life of South Africa, continuing
the direction established by Carol Brown who left
the gallery as director in 2006. Mduduzi Xakaza
was appointed as Director of the Galllery in 2010
and looks set to continue the gallery’s history
of engaging with eThekwini and its residents.
63

BOTH DURBAN AND KWAZULU-NATAL ARE REVERED
by musicologists worldwide for the hot-bed of musical
talent that resides here. Gardeners who service lush
lawns and exotic flower-beds are seen strumming their
guitars after work in a gently percussive fashion. On
Saturday nights youths from all over the province gather
outside the YMCA in Beatrice Street for the weekly
isicathamiya competitions. People dance freely on the
streets to ambient urban rhythms, and even a cappuccinomaking
waiter was seen rasping his milk-frother in time
to the techno music playing in the background.
Whether it’s something in the water, or something in
the air, Durban has a musical soil that is extremely rich,
and which supplies a great deal of musical talent to the
nation. Having contributed a variety of local musical
forms to the national landscape, Durban is a vitally
important cog in the South African music industry despite
the fact that most of the musical wealth, both literal and
metaphoric, ends up in Johannesburg.
64
MUSIC
BUSI MHLONGO died early in 2010, robbing South Africa of one
of its most talented and loved performers. Blessed with an
extraordinary voice that sinks deep under the earth and then rises
to the stars, Mhlongo was the first woman to appropriate maskanda
music and remains a hero to many young South African musicians.
Commercial successs eluded Busi all her life despite massive critical
recognition both locally and overseas, where every concert was a
sell-out show. She was always aware that she could be living
the high-life in Paris or New York, but chose to live in
Durban simply because she couldn’t bear to live anywhere else.
Album: Babhemu, Urban Zulu
SHIYANI NGCOBO is one of KZN’s most well known maskanda
guitarists. Maskanda is a musical form indigenous to KZN
which fuses traditional Nguni rhythms with the western
guitar to create a haunting, almost trance-like sound. Like
many maskanda guitarists, Ngcobo, who sadly died in 2011,
sung along to his guitar – in a voice that was sometimes
plaintive, sometimes strident, but always movingly beautiful.
Album: Introducing Shiyani Ncgobo

THE SOUTH JERSEY POM-POMS hark back to a
time before rock and roll broke the dam of popular
music. Conceptually based in the thirties and
forties, the Pom-Poms exude a certain innocence
that is musical, stylistic and emotional. The songs
and influences are eclectic, but there is
nonetheless a coherence that runs through their
performances that is perhaps expressed best in
the image of an enigmatic siren on a smoky stage.
Album: South Jersey Pom-Poms
RICHARD HASLOP is South Africa’s foremost music critic and
an accomplished blues guitarist. He lives in the Durban suburb
of Hillary and has a day job as a lawyer, but spends every other
waking minute listening to music. Previously one of South Africa’s
most respected radio DJs – on his SAFM show Fruits to Roots –
Haslop now writes regularly for Audio Video magazine and the
Perfect Sound Forever webzine, as well as playing with blues band
Formerly Slim. His continued influence – and the reverence given
to a positive review from him despite having virtually no presence
in the national media – is one of the triumphs of the digital age.
READ: Audio Video, Perfect Sound Forever
JOSEPH SHABALALA is one of eThekwini’s most famous musical exports
as the frontman for LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO, the isicathimiya
group that he began as a young man. With a handful of Grammy’s to
their name, the group’s performances are sought after all over the world,
which hasn’t affected the essential humility of Shabalala’s music.
When the voices of Ladysmith come together, with Shabalala as their
signature central instrument, you can hear the sound of heaven.
Album: Inala, Shaka Zulu, Raise Your Spirits Higher
65

THE ARROWS produce a remarkably well-crafted
blend of power pop and jazz-tinged rock performed
with vitality and drive. Featuring the extraordinary
voice of the charismatic PAMELA DE MENEZE in
tandem with CHRISTIE DESFONTAIN’s gripping
rhythms, The Arrows are aiming for global success.
And at this point it seems a likely outcome.
Both members are Christians and they achieve
the difficult feat of making music about
their faith that doesn’t alienate non-believers.
Album: Babhemu, Make Believe
CHRIS NTULI and his band THE DURBAN BLACK DRIFTERS carry
the sound of KwaZulu-Natal’s isicathamiya around the province
and around the world. With a sweet chorus of voices maintained
under his watchful eye, these Black Drifters are respected stars
of the local isicathamiya scene, even if they have yet to crack the
mainstream success achieved by Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Album: Bafana Bafana
66
MADALA KUNENE is an extraordinary talent whose highly personalised
take on the traditional Zulu maskanda guitar has earned him acclaim all over
the world, although like many local musicians, he still struggles to make
ends meet. When Kunene plays, time slows down and the noise of the world
seems to fade away. His trance-like rhythms, accompanied by a voice that
is at once both frail and strong, make him one of Durban’s greatest treasures.
Album: Kon’ko Man, Madamax, Bafo Bafo

GUY BUTTERY uses unorthodox playing methods to bring forth
sublime new sounds from his stringed instruments, transforming a single
instrument into an array of sounds that could well come from an entire
band. As well as the guitar, Buttery also plays the mandolin and sitar,
and occasionally plays with other musicians. His unique style, combined
with his songwriting skills, has earned him international critical acclaim.
Album: When I Grow Up, Fox Hill Lane
PHUZEKHEMISI has played a substantial role in
bringing traditional Zulu music to an urban setting.
Phuzekhemisi is the stage name of JOSEPH MNYANDU,
and literally means ‘drink the medicine’. The
charismatic performer is now a major commercial
drawcard who has gained recognition elsewhere in
Africa, as well as in Europe’s world music scene.
Album: Amakhansela, Phans’ Imikhonto
CHRIS LETCHER is one of South Africa’s most critically lauded
rock musicians. Beginning with legendary Durban band Urban
Creep, Letcher subsequently established a musical partnership
with fellow singer-songwriter Matthew van der Want with
whom he produced three astounding albums. He presently
heads a five-piece band that goes by the name of LETCHER.
Album: Frieze, Harmonium
67

DOMINION This eight member Gospel outfit is the brainchild of
South African gospel phenomenon, Joyous Celebration. Featuring
Sibongiseni Mbhele, Sandile Cele, Xolani Mdlalose, Brenda Mtambo,
Mahalia Buchanan, Mercy Mndlovu, Tebello Sukwene and Zodwa
Mahlangu, all seasoned performers, their debut album I’ll Run to
Him has been well-received both locally and in the United States.
Albums: I Will Run to You
68
BLACK COFFEE , aka Durban-born Nkosinathi Maphumulo,
has been on the scene for over a decade but hit the big
time with his interpretation of Hugh Masekela’s
rambunctious jazz hit Stimela. Followed by a slew of
international releases, including remixes of songs from
the late Busi Mhlongo, Black Coffee is a glorious amalgam
of digital beats and traditional South African music.
Albums: Black Coffee
BIG NUZ take their name from the license plate (NUZ) of
Umlazi, the Durban township from where Mandla Maphumulo
(aka Mampintsha), Mzingisi Mkhwanazi (aka Danger) and
Sibusiso Khomo (aka Mashesha) became one of the country’s
most dramatic musical success stories. Dominating the charts
and music award ceremonies, their widespread success
culminated in a number of wins at the 2010 Sama Awards.
Albums: Zozo, 2nd Round Knockout, Undisputed

DJ TIRA , aka Mthokosisi Khathi, is one of South Africa’s most
popular DJs. Having started his career in his home town of Durban,
he has a strong following both nationally and internationally and
owns his own record label Afrocentric. Describing the music he
plays as “up tempo with a heavy base line, chanting vocals and a
tribal beat”, Tira has been credited as one of the creators of the
Durban Sound which has taken the country’s dance floors by storm.
Hear him: on the compilation Durban’s Finest Vol. 2
NELI SHABALALA was the frontwoman for the female
isicathamiya group WOMEN OF MAMBAZO before her tragic
death. The wife of Joseph Shabalala, the driving force behind
Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Neli’s voice combined with
those of the group’s other members to form an angelic
choir that explored the issues facing women in the province.
Albums: Mamizolo
MARTIN MCHALE was the co-owner of 330, South Africa’s
most legendary nightclub. The club closed its doors several years
ago but, after holding parties in other spaces for a while, the
team has regrouped at the highly successful ORIGIN nightclub
where McHale continues his position as resident DJ. He is in
inter-national demand as a DJ and has also formed the band RISE
with local chanteuse Kerry Wood and guitarist Colin Peddie.
Albums: Present with Rise
69

FRUIT AND VEG are a ska-influenced punk-rock
band fronted by the charismatic PURITY MKHIZE,
who sings and roars her way through anthemic
songs of self-assertion in a world of bland
consumerism. They are a one- of-a-kind band, with
a roster of solid songs, a derisive attitide towards
conventions, a blistering stage presence and a fully
expressed commitment to living life to the full.
Album: Still in production. Look out for it.
NIBS VAN DER SPUY was for many years a staple on the Durban
scene with the much loved instrumental band Landscape Prayers.
In the wake of the Prayers’ breakup, Nibs branched out on his own
with a selection of emotionally tender and musically immaculate
solo albums, as well as collaborations with Barry van Zyl and the
late Gito Baloi on the Hadeda project. Van Der Spuy’s output provides
sincere spiritual sweetness for those who prefer honey to saccharine.
Albums: A House Across the River, Beautiful Feet
70
THE FATAARS are one of Durban’s most gifted musical families. STEVE
and RICKY FATAAR were members of THE FLAMES, a South African band
which made it into the international charts in the late ’60s, leading to
collaborations with groups such as the Beach Boys and the Rolling
Stones. Steve continues to perform in Durban, along with his daughter,
the golden-voiced TARA and his beatboxing son DAIN, under the name
AVATAR, while RICKY continues to perform around the world.
Albums: Soul Fire!!, Burning Soul!

Jazzy Rainbow
93 Smiso Nkwanyana Road
Morningside
+27 31 303 8398
Rivets
Hilton Hotel
12 Walnut Road
+27 31 336 8142
Rainbow Jazz Club
23 Stanfield Lane
Pinetown
+27 31 702 9161
The Willowvale Hotel
406 Umbilo Road
Umbilo
+27 31 205 1291
Zulu Jazz Lounge
Playhouse Complex
231 Anton Lembede Street
+27 31 304 2373
Splashy Fen
PO Box 4078
The Square 4021
+27 31 563 0824
Centre for Jazz
University of KZN
Glenwood
+27 31 260 3385
The Bat Deck
Maritime Place
Small Craft Harbour
+27 31 332 0451
Cool Runnings
49 Milne Street
Durban City
+27 31 368 5604
Unit 11
190 Stamford Hill Road
Morningside
+27 82 774 6528
Zacks Windemere
Windemere Centre
Morningside
+27 31 312 0755
Zacks Wilson’s Wharf
Boatman’s Road
Maydon Wharf
+27 31 305 1677
Music Venues
Czar
178 Florida Road
Morningside
+27 31 312 8001
KZN Philharmonic Orchestra
29 Acutt Street
Durban
+27 31 369 9477
Jackie Horner Pub
Cnr Clark & Esther Roberts
Road, Glenwood
+27 31 202 9192
The Winston Pub
9 Clark Road
Umbilo
+27 76 976 1002
Amsterdam
142 Helen Joseph Road
Glenwood
+27 31 811 5449
Burn Nightclub
16 Walls Avenue
Greyville
+27 82 325 9746
The Rainbow in Pinetown is one of Durban’s most important music venues.
Opened by Ben Pretorius in 1981, the venue was one of the very few places
where people of different races could enjoy music together during apartheid.
As such, it became an important space in which the collective culture of
Durban and KZN could be appreciated by all. Three decades after first
opening, it remains the most significant music venue in eThekwini today.
Another important musical space is The Bat Centre, in Durban’s small craft
harbour, which has hosted many of South Africa’s leading musicians, and was
an important engine of creativity in Durban in the 1990s. After a period of
dormancy, the venue has recently been reignited by Durban musician Philani
Ngidi, and is once again providing a strong platform for the best of local music.
71

ALL OVER THE WORLD, TO BE A DANCER
is to submit to a life of sacrifice. Dancers never
do it for the money, and nowhere is this more
true than in Durban, where many of our dancers
live close to poverty in the shacklands and RDP
settlements surrounding Durban. Yet despite –
and perhaps because of – the challenges
dancers face, local dance companies regularly
produce world-class work that, on occasion,
challenges the very definition of dance.
Often working on the cutting edge of
contemporary practice, Durban dancers and
choreographers are telling their own stories in
a language that is constantly being rewritten
and which is born from the collision between
modernity and traditional western, african
and eastern forms. It is a language which
increasingly finds itself traversing the world,
as Durban’s dancers find themselves on international
stages, from New York to Dakar.
72
DANCE
NTSIKELELO ‘BOYZIE’ CEKWANA possesses a remarkable
ability to communicate through his body, as well as a radical
intelligence and rarified aesthetic, all of which have made him
a dancer and choreographer of international acclaim. Cekwana
has danced all over the world and heads the aptly named
FLOATING OUTFIT PROJECT. Intended to be rootless and
unaffiliated, the company includes Cekwana and his
partner www.siwelasonke.co.za
Désiré Davids as it’s only permanent members.
SIWELA SONKE DANCE THEATRE is headed by creative dynamo JAY
PATHER and populated with an extraordinary group of dancers including
NTOMBI GASA and NELISWE RUSHUALANG. Siwela’s dancers are never
subservient to their roles, embodying the very pulse of South African life
in a dance language that is always shifting in its search for emotional
truth in a sea of uncertainty. Often performing in urban settings rather
than on a stage, the company performs in cities all around the world.
www.siwelasonke.co.za

FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY , named for the challenge it holds up
to Western ideals of dance, is a contemporary company offering work
that engages – in poignant and beautiful ways – with the emotional
and political context in which we live. With dance lecturer LLIANE
LOOTS as the driving force, and a troupe of talented and idiosyncratic
dancers, Flatfoot produces socially aware and globally accessible
dance theatre with its roots planted firmly in Durban’s fertile soil.
JOMBA! DANCE FESTIVAL , hosted by the Centre for
Creative Arts and headed by Lliane Loots is a ten-day
international contemporary dance festival and
conference that features the cream of South African
dance companies, as well as respected dancers and
choreographers from around the world with whom
local dancers often collaborate. The festival also hosts
dance workshops and technical collaborations.
www.ukzn.ac.za/cca
NATESHWAR DANCE ACADEMY has 12 branches around
KwaZulu-Natal. Every year, under the guidance of SMEETHA
SINGH, the academy teaches the ancient art of Indian dance
to hundreds of students who come together in spectacular
annual productions. Although a bastion of classical Indian
dance, the academy’s dancers often contribute to contemporary
productions from other companies, in the spirit of collaboration
www.siwelasonke.co.za
and diversity that defines Durban’s dance scene.
73

DESIRE DAVIDS is one of several Durban dancers who are taking South
African dance to the world. She spent much of 2009 in France rehearsing
for her performance in Vincent Mantsoe’s celebrated work San which
had its South African debut in Grahamstown. She will continue her
internationalist streak with tours of Europe. Well known to Durban
audiences from her time spent at the Playhouse Dance company, Davids
also performs with Boyzie Cekwana in his Floating Outfit Project.
74
MLU ZONDI won the 2010 Standard Bank Young
Artist of the Year Award for his idiosyncratic blend
of dance and fine-art-as-performance. Like Siwela
Sonke, Zondi’s work is as likely to appear in a gallery
or public space as on a stage. Zondi came to
work in the context of visual art because he felt
that his brand of performance was not accepted in
the contemporary dance world. The consequences
of that decision continue to serve him well.
MUSA HLATSHWAYO is one of Durban’s fastest rising dance
stars. Remarkably charismatic, this gifted dancer and
choreographer is doing much to extend the language of
contemporary dance. Currently working as a freelance artist
as well as with his company MHAYISE PRODUCTIONS,
Hlatoswayo has received much critical recognition and a
number of awards, including the 2008/9 Dancelink award for
best choreographer. As well as touring his work around the
world, Hlatshwayo devotes much of his time to teaching,
particularly at the development project Cato Manor Vibe.

Dancelink started with the aim of
raising the profile of dance in the
province. Several years later, Dancelink
is an established part of South
Africa’s dance network. As well as
engaging in community work, the
organisation also produces several
performance projects annually,
including the large-scale youth dance
performance project Dance for Youth.
Outreach Programmes form an
integral element of the dance scene
in Durban. While these programmes
help dance companies to give back
to the communities that form the
mostly invisible backbones of our
society, they are also a rich source
of future dance talent. Cato Manor
Vibe is a sterling example of such
programme. Founded by the
seminal dance company Fantastic
Flying Fish and mentored by some
leading local talents, Cato Manor
Vibe fosters the development of
the self and communities while
stressing the vital importance of
education in uplifting the lives of
its young and talented dancers.
DAVID GOULDIE is a stalwart of the Durban dance
scene. Previously a member of the Playhouse Ballet
Company and a founding member of the now sadly
defunct Fantastic Flying Fish Dance Company, Gouldie
now has his own company called Urban Edge Productions
which creates corporate theatre, launches and brand
activations. He is still strongly involved with choreography
and has recently lent his skills to productions
such as The Nutcracker and Chess, as well as helping to
organise art-based events such as Naked and Red Eye.
75

UNDER THE OLD APARTHEID DISPENSATION,
theatre attendance was racially delineated and
black theatre thoroughly marginalised. At the same
time theatre, both in white cities and black
townships, was a major site of political protest and
activism, producing a rich canon of protest theatre
whose artistic accomplishments still resound.
This is the twin legacy of theatre in Durban, and
the challenge faced by Durban’s theatre community
in the 21st century is to write and produce work
that engages with our past and our present, and
is at the same time relevant to the broad spectrum
of the people who live in and around the city.
It is a challenge that is still in the process of
being confronted by Durbanites, as a new
generation of young actors, directors and theatre
lovers emerges. And while theatre in Durban has
still to transcend the divisions created by apartheid,
the possibilities for transcendent work remain,
nurtured by the continuing contradictions of South
African society.
76
THEATRE
CHANTAL SNYMAN is a theatre worker who interrogates
and celebrates our local reality. A writer, director, storyteller,
actor and teacher, Snyman has added two key works Snapshots
(1999) and Frank (2009) to the local canon, both of which she
wrote and directed. She has appeared on stage in a wide
range of performances and in recent years has started working
with both puppets and professional soccer players in order
to provide accessible education around HIV and Aids.
EDMUND MHLONGO is a shining example of the fact that one person
can make a difference. An award-winning director, Mhlongo is the driving
force behind the EKHAYA MULTI-ARTS CENTRE in KwaMashu, which
he founded and continues to head. In a township rich with performing
talent but low on performance spaces, Mhlongo provides much needed
exposure for young dancers, musicians, actors and production
staff and the chance for local audieinces to celebrate their culture.
SEEN HERE: Madame President

MBONGENI NGEMA , progenitor of the legendary Sarafina
productions, singer, director and general creative talent, is one of
Durban’s most prolific artists. A champion of local narrative, he has
achieved mainstream success with his epic stage productions as well
as with his recorded output, musicals, television shows and films.
He is also a talented and hugely successful songwriter, his oeuvre
ranging from jazz to gospel to R&B, from marabi to mbaqanga.
SEEN HERE: Lion of the East
NEIL COPPEN is one of South Africa’s most gifted
theatre talents and a frequent contributor to Durban’s
broader art scene. Acclaimed for his acting skills from
a young age, Coppen has subsequently established a
solid career for himself as a writer, playwright and
director, with his plays The Tin Bucket and Tree Boy
garnering much critical acclaim around the country
and beyond. Coppen was recently awarded the 2011
Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year Award for Theatre.
SEEN HERE: The Tin Bucket
KICKSTART , run by GREG KING and STEVEN STEAD, is an
independent professional theatre company which regularly
stages world-class productions in Durban. The company’s
primary objective is to produce the best of internationally
recognised drama. However, just as important is the creation
of top-quality children’s theatre, staged with the intention of
fostering a love of the theatre among young people.
SEEN HERE: The Wizard of Oz
77

JERRY POOE is a well-known force in Durban theatre circles as
a writer, director and playwright. As CEO of his company EAGER
ARTISTS, Pooe’s work provides a bridge between the past and
the present, in the process attempting to forge a new African
theatre. Pooe is also involved in artistic projects in rural
communities and has facilitated various projects, including Aids
Awareness education and training youths in theatre skills.
SEEN HERE: Sophiatown
78
GAIL SNYMAN began her theatrical career in 1994, after
having raised her family, and has subsequently become a
key figure in Durban’s theatre scene. Her debut work, the
autobiographical one-woman show, Tears in My Navy Blue
Eyes, received critical acclaim and toured internationally,
while Sasol Fever is centred around the dislocated family
lives of refinery workers. More recently she has written an
anti-litter play for children which will be animated by
the Centre for Fine Art, Animation and Design.
ILLA THOMPSON is an ubiquitous figure on the Durban
creative scene, bringing support to artists and performers
above and beyond the call of duty. Although her main area
of interest is theatre, Thompson is seen at virtually every artoriented
event and she frequently falls into the role of arts
activist. She is also involved with the Performing Arts Network
of South Africa. Together with her company PUBLICITY
MATTERS, Thompson helps to keep theatre alive in Durban.
SEEN HERE: Frontlines

CLAIRE MORTIMER is one of
Durban’s most accomplished actors,
as well as a talented director and
playwright. Mortimer is superb in
difficult roles such as the cancerstricken
Vivian in Wit, but also revels
in lighter work in which she shows
off her wickedly comedic streak.
SEEN HERE IN: Wit
Elisabeth Sneddon
Theatre
University of KZN
238 Mazisi Kunene
Road
+27 31 260 2296
Barnyard Theatre
Gateway Theatre of
Shopping
Umhlanga
+27 31 566 3045
Catalina Theatre
18 Boatman’s Road
Maydon Wharf
+27 31 305 6889
Stable Theatre
Cnr Joseph Nduli
Street & Alice Street
City Centre
+27 31 309 2513
THEMI VENTURAS There are few people more committed
and active in the theatre community than Venturas. An
accomplished director who has been at the helm of many
large-scale productions over the years, Venturas is also the
man behind the CATALINA THEATRE on Wilson’s Wharf. The
Catalina provides an intimate theatre experience in an
accessible space, and has entertained theatre goers with such
varied fare as The Man of La Mancha and Have You Seen Zandile?
SEEN HERE: Man of La Mancha
Square Space
Theatre
University of KZN
238 Mazisi Kunene
Road
+27 31 260 3133
Ekhaya Multi Arts
Centre
B25 Giya Rd
Kwa-Mashu
+27 31 504 6970
Heritage Theatre
9 Old Main Road
Hillcrest
+27 31 765 4197
Open-Air Theatre
Botanic Gardens
70 St Thomas Road
Musgrave
+27 31 309 1170
Rhumbelow Theatre
Cunningham Road
(off Bartle Road)
Umbilo
+27 31 205 7602
+27 82 499 8636
Open Air Theatre
University of KZN
238 Mazisi Kunene
Road
+27 31 260 3133
The Playhouse
231 Anton Lembede
Street, City Centre
+27 31 369 9555
SuperNova Theatre
Suncoast Casino
Suncoast Boulevard
Marine Parade
+27 31 328 3333
Theatres
Courtyard Theatre
Durban University of
Technology
Ritson Campus
Steve Biko Road
+27 31 373 2194
Asoka Theatre
University of KZN
Westville Campus
Essex Terrace
+27 31 204 4111
iZulu Theatre
Sibaya Casino
Umhlanga Rocks
Tel: +27 31 580 5000
Seabrooke Theatre
Durban High School
St Thomas Road
Musgrave
+27 31 201 1638
79

ONLY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS HAS SOUTH
Africa started to produce a substantial number of
feature films. Now, under the banner of freedom,
and with so many stories to tell, local cinema is
quickly growing up and beginning to make worldclass
contributions to global cinema, such as Darryl
Roodt’s Yesterday. Filmed in KwaZulu-Natal it was
the world’s first Zulu language feature film and
garnered an Oscar nomination, preceding the win
by the more Hollywood-oriented Tsotsi. With its
affordable labour and infrastructure, an incredibly
diverse variety of locations, and astoundingly good
weather, Durban is becoming increasingly popular
with international directors and producers, with
plans for film studios currently underway.
At the same time the local film culture is getting
stronger, with an increasing number of productions
coming out of Durban, aided in no small part by
the work of the Durban International Film Festival
and the Durban Film Office.
80
FILM
JUNAID AHMED of FINELINE PRODUCTIONS specialises in
documentary work that explores marginalised communities.
Fineline’s films are frequently screened on national television and
syndicated for broadcast around the world. After the awardwinning
Lucky, which looks at the relationship between an Aids
orphan and a racist Indian woman, comes STOCKHOLM,
ZULULAND, a cross-cutural romantic comedy with a wicked twist.
Watch: Lucky, Trancing in Dreamtime, Stockholm Zululand
Video Mogul is a DVD rental store in Musgrave that has had a significiant impact on
local film culture. By introducing an extensive selection of world cinema and older and
more obscure films, the store has helped to grow a culture of cinema in eThekwini, in
the process encouraging a new young breed of Durban filmmakers. +27 31 202 1520.
The Durban Filmmart A joint programme of the Durban International Film Festival
and the Durban Film Office, the Durban FilmMart is an annual co-production market
which links filmmakers from Africa with funders and producers. The FilmMart
includes a Finance Forum, which provides an opportunity for selected African
filmmakers to pitch their projects to potential investors on a one-to-one basis, and
a four-day specialised workshop programme for producers focusing on pitching
and packaging films. The DFM provides an opportunity for international networking
and making the case for the support and development of African film.

MASOOD BOOMGARD is a talented local writer and filmmaker. With
a regular column in the Sunday Tribune and a popular blog, his following
will no doubt swell with the release of ATTACK OF THE INDIAN WEREWOLF,
a cheerfully irreverant Durban flavoured spoof on the werewolf genre. The
film features local DJ and comedian Neville Pillay as a timid,
hardworking store clerk who has been overtaken by a werewolf demon,
and includes a cameo from eThekwini’s Municipality’s Speaker Logie Naidoo.
Watch: Attack of the Indian Werewolf
THE DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is South
Africa’s only international film festival. Started by city
councillor Ros Sarkin in 1979, the festival is now run by
the University of KZN’s Centre for Creative Arts. Under
the directorship of NASHEN MOODLEY, the DIFF has
expanded beyond the university, taking its exciting
selection of world cinema to theatres all over the city.
www.cca.ukzn.ac.za/diff
CLAIRE ANGELIQUE BEZUIDENHOUT is not short of
ambition. Armed with the script for her film MY LITTLE BLACK
HEART she approached Danish superdirector Lars von Triers
and his production company Zentropa Films. Von Triers was
sufficiently impressed to take on the project and provide his own
cinematographer. The film subsequently won Bezuidenhout the
2010 Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year Award For Film.
Watch: My Little Black Heart
81

ANANT SINGH , with his company VIDEOVISION, is a key player in the
South African film industry. Both a production house and an international
distribution company, Videovision is responsible for the block-busting
exploits of Leon Schuster’s MR BONES, as well as for seminal South African
films such as The Stick and Sarafina. The company has produced more than
100 films, including the Oscar-nominated Yesterday, the Zulu-language
feature film which gives a face to the Aids pandemic in South Africa.
Watch: The Stick, Yesterday, Faith’s Corner, Mr Bones
82
THE DURBAN FILM OFFICE is the official advocate for
Durban’s film industry. A special-purpose vehicle of the
Municipality, the DFO combines film related activities in
Durban under an autonomous organisation which aims
to position Durban as a globally competitive film city. The
DFO is a facilitating partner in the DURBAN FILMMART.
WATCH: Izulu Lami, Racing Stripes
NASHEN MOODLEY is Durban’s foremost film critic, as well
as the manager of the Durban International Film Festival. A writer
of great depth and insight, Moodley’s reviews appear in the Sunday
Tribune’s SM Mag. It is his job as director of the festival, however,
that takes up the bulk of his time. As well as an unflinching
dedication to film, the position also requires extraordinary
diplomatic abilities, which Moodley puts to good use as director
of the Africa-Asia leg of the Dubai International Film Festival.
Watch: At the Durban International Film Festival

The Grey Street Cinemas are
significant in the cultural history of
Durban because they were one of the
very few places in apartheid South
Africa where black people could
access cinema. In the early days of
silent movies, two cinemas – the
Victoria and the African Theatre
Company – operated in the Grey Street
area. They were soon joined by the
Indian-owned cinema nicknamed
Rawat’s Bio, and in 1940 the Moosa
family opened the Avalon Cinema.
The Avalon was the first venue to
host the Durban International Film
Festival in 1979. More than three
decades later, the Avalon group now
has its flagship theatres at Suncoast
Casino, and once more plays host to
the Film Festival as the premiere
venue for the annual event. Until
recently, a single cinema remained
in the Indian Quarter. The Shiraz,
which opened its doors in 1968, and
moved to its final location in the
1980s,closed in 2010, and with it,
the last cinema in eThekwini that
was not located in a shopping mall.
MADODA NCAYIYANA and JULIE FREDERICKSE
of VULEKA PRODUCTIONS are the director and
screenwriter respectively behind the award-winning
film Izulu Lami which tells the story of Thembi, a
young rural girl who heads for the city in the wake
of her mother’s death. Sobahle Mkhabase, the young
actress who plays Thembi, will also feature in Vuleka’s
next production, a comedy drama called Mobile Muti.
WATCH: The Sky in Her Eyes, Izulu Lami
Geoff Theys
65 Rockdale Avenue
Westville
+27 31 266 0339
Patrick MgGhee
35 Intersite Avenue
Springfield Park
+27 31 263 0182
Reeltime
15a Burlington Drive
Westville
+27 31 266 0353
Rhubarb Productions
7 Sinembe Crescent
La Lucia Ridge
+27 31 566 5749
SB Productions
Augusta Country Estate
Hillcrest
+27 31 764 3020
Production Companies
Videovision
134 Stephen Dlamini
Road, Berea
+27 31 204 6000
Vuleka Productions
Mazisi Kunene Road
Glenwood
+27 31 261 9650
Forecast Casting
33 Overport Drive
Overport
+27 31 209 9617
DT Video
5 Nunhead Road
Manor Gardens
+27 31 261 6961
Durban Motion Pictures
5 Walnut Road
Durban
+27 31 307 1988
Fine Line Productions
PO Box 30210
Mayville
+27 31 261 1154
Tekweni TV
1 Glenroy Road
Manor Gardens
+27 31 261 1034
Collective Film & Video
236 Lambert Road
Morningside
+27 31 303 9727
BLM Productions
241 Florida Road
Morningside
+27 83 232 1758
Stargate
42 Queen Elizabeth Drive
Westville
+27 31 266 6230
Cane Productions
120 Marianhill Road
Ashley
+27 31 700 4434
Go-Boy
13 Saint Hillier Road
Hillcrest
+27 31 767 2700
Halo Media
12 Knoll Road
Westville
+27 31 266 2309
DIFF
Centre for Creative Arts
University of KZN
+27 31 260 2506
Durban Film Office
11th Flr, Rennies House
41 Victoria Embankment
+27 31 266 2309
83

DURBAN’S MUSEUMS ARE A VITAL LINK TO THE PAST,
both that of the city and of South Africa itself, and are a
useful tool for visitors wanting to understand our history.
For it is in eThekwini that the ‘Durban System’ of racial
segregation was invented, and while it is something that
many would rather forget, the vignettes of a life dominated
by the Native Affairs Department, as chronicled in the Kwa
Muhle Museum, are an important part of the city’s history.
Meanwhile, at the Natural Science Museum, we can
glimpse the world of prehistory and explore a series of
gorgeous dioramas detailing the region’s zoological diversity,
and in Durban’s Old Court House Museum we get a sense
of the 19th century colonialism which has left a large
footprint on the physical structure and collective culture of
our city. In helping us to understand our past we can move
into the future with clarity and hope, engendered by the
fact that our history has, in the long term, been a consistent
but gradual move towards freedom and a common humanity.
84
MUSEUMS
THE OLD HOUSE MUSEUM in St Andrew’s Street is a replica
of the original Robinson home built in 1850. It first belonged
to George Robinson (founding editor of the Mercury newspaper)
and then to his son Sir John Robinson, the first Prime Minister
of Natal during the 1890s. It was reconstructed by the city
council after World War II and now houses a collection of
furniture and artifacts from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
www.durban.gov.za/durban/discover/museums/local_history/oldhouse
THE DURBAN NATURAL SCIENCE MUSEUM is a museum
about the earth, its history, and its life forms, both past and
present. The museum, which has just been beautifully renovated
and had its dioramas restored, houses informative and
educational displays of mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. As
well as being a window into our local prehistory, there is even
an Egyptian mummy and a lifesize replica of a tyrannosaurus.
http://www.durban.gov.za/durban/discover/museums/nsm

THE KWA MUHLE MUSEUM Once the office of the Native Affairs
Department, this museum now displays examples of the oppressive
administration of the black population of Durban under apartheid. Corridors
once trodden by apartheid policy makers are now filled with school
children learning about a past that we must never forget. But while the
museum is a window into a dark past, it is also a beacon of hope in the
form of exhibitions which look towards a brighter, collective future.
www.durban.gov.za/durban/discover/museums/local_history/kwamuhle
THE CAMPBELL COLLECTION , which includes
the Killie Campbell Africana Library, the William
Campbell Picture Collection and the Mashu
Museum of Ethnology, is an internationally
renowned and unique collection of rare archival
resources. The Campbell Collection is primarily
known as a centre for high quality research,
attracting post-graduate and established
researchers in the fields of social science and
the humanities from all over the world.
Nonetheless, the broad display of historic and
cultural artifacts provides an enriching
experience for anyone with even the vaguest
interest in the history of the area. Visitors
to the museum need to book in advance.
http://www.campbell.ukzn.ac.za
THE MARITIME MUSEUM harks back to a time when
shipping was more about the sea and less about logistics.
Located on the edge of the port closest to the city
centre and backed by a panoramic view, the museum
has an inspiring collection of vessels and nautical
artifacts, as well as a freshly renovated in-door museum.
www.durban.gov.za/durban/discover/museums/local_history/portnatal
85

THE PHANSI MUSEUM is a private museum which
houses one of the biggest and most spectacular
collections of African arts and crafts in the world. The
collection is held in Roberts House, a fully restored
Victorian national monument, in Glenwood. Three floors
of the Victorian mansion are packed with Zulu beadwork,
earplugs, wire baskets, milk-pails, beer-pots and fertility
dolls, Ndebele blankets and ceremonial items, and
artifacts from the Eastern Cape, Namibia and Kenya.
www.phansi.com
THE CATO MANOR HERITAGE CENTRE Once the site of
forced removals, Cato Manor is an area of great significance
to the history of Durban. The centre chronicles the fascinating
history of the area, linking the stories of past and present
Cato Manor to the broader history of South Africa.
www.durban.gov.za/durban/discover/museums/local_history/catomanor
86
THE OLD COURT HOUSE is Durban’s oldest surviving public building.
Erected in 1863 as a Courthouse and Post Office, it has borne witness
to much of the city’s history. The building was converted into a local
history museum in 1940 and has two floors of exhibition space depicting
aspects of Durban’s early history, including a fine collection of period
costumes, maps, documentation and photographs. Research facilities
are available for those seeking a more in-depth perspective.
www.durban.gov.za/durban/discover/museums/local_history/courthouse

The Durban System was the first
incarnation of urban racial segregation.
The purpose of the system was
to control and monitor the movements
of the African migrant population.
To finance the Durban System, the
Native Beer Act was passed in 1908,
giving municipalities in Natal the
sole right to brew and sell beer within
their boundaries. The Durban
Municipality began to brew its own
beer, selling it through a network of
beerhalls which it established. The
first municipal beer-hall opened in
1909 and soon the system was
reaping huge profits. Nothing was
allowed to threaten this situation
and every effort was made to stamp
out the illegal brewing and sale of
beer, including regular police raids.
The Durban Natural Science Museum
First Floor, City Hall, Anton Lembede Street
+27 31 311 2256/2241
The Old House Museum
31 Diaconia Street
City Centre
+27 31 311 2261
The Killie Campbell Africana Library
220 Gladys Mazibuko Road
+27 31 260 1720
The Kwa Muhle Museum
130 Bram Fischer Road
City Centre
+27 31 311 2237
The Cato Manor Heritage Centre
Intuthuko Junction, 750 Rick Turner Road, Cato
Manor
+27 31 261 3216
The Old Court House
99 Samora Machel Street
City Centre
+27 31 311 2226/7
The Phansi Museum
500 Esther Roberts Road
Glenwood
+27 31 206 2889
Bergtheil Museum
16 Queens Avenue
Westville
+72 31 2037 107
Pinetown Museum
Corner of Joosiah Gumede and Crompton
Street, Pinetown
+27 31 311 6343
J L Dube Interpretation Centre
Ohlange Institute, Inanda, M-25 (kwaMashu
Highway)
+27 72 503 3495
Museums in Durban
Durban Holocaust Centre
44 K.E. Masinga Road
+27 31 368 6833
Port Natal Maritime Museum
Maritime Place, Small Craft Harbour
City Centre
+27 31 311 3216
Ammazulu African Palace
20 Windsor Road, Kloof
+27 31 206 2889
Geology Education Museum
Science 1 Building, University Road,
University of KZN Durban-Westville
+27 31 260 2524
Inanda Seminary
M-25 (KwaMashu Highway)
Emachobeni, Inanda Mission 4310
+27 31 510 1011
Warriors Gate Moth Shrine & Museum
1 NMR Avenue, Durban
(opposite Sahara Kingsmead Cricket Stadium)
+27 31 307 3337
Natural Science Museum Research Centre
151 KE Masinga Road
City Centre
+27 31 322 4210/2
Local History Museums Research and
Enquiries Service The Local History Museums
provide an enquiry service for researchers,
students and members of the public at the
Old Court House Museum. For those interested
in finding out more about our history, the
enquiry section is open between 8.30am and
3.30pm weekdays. Staff members will make
every effort to assist you with information and
items from the archives. Due to the archival
nature of the collections, conditions associated
with their use and reproduction are
strictly controlled. Phone +27 31 311 2226/7.
.
87

DURBAN HAS A GENEROUS SELECTION OF PUBLIC
parks and gardens as well as an array of nature reserves,
many of them located a short distance from the city centre.
With a sub-tropical climate, more than 300 days of sunshine
a year and a generous annual rainfall, the city is lush with
vegetation and remains mostly green in Durban’s mild
winter. The beautifully maintained Botanic Gardens, Mitchell
Park and Jameson Park showcase this verdant heritage
and also provide important green open spaces. Burman
Bush, Pigeon Valley and the Hawaan Forest are all well
maintained natural areas in residential areas that are
accessible to all, while Krantzkloof and Shongweni Nature
Reserves provide a window into the profound beauty of
the natural African landscape.
As well as providing beautiful destinations for the many
tourists that visit the region, these parks and gardens are
integral to the quality of life of Durban’s residents. Aside
from the broad ecological benefits of retaining, maintaining
and developing green areas close to the city, they also
provide important recreation spaces.
88
GETTING OUT
SHONGWENI RESOURCES RESERVE offers an authentic African
experience. This 1700 hectare reserve includes an incredible
diversity of vegetation and bird life, with its landscape
encompassing cliffs, waterfalls, rivers, dams, open grassland and
bushveld. Quality accommodation is available and, although only
half an hour away from Durban, the reserve offers big game
viewing as well as fishing, water spots and a variety of walks.
Phone +27 31 760 1283
PIGEON VALLEY is located near the city centre in the surburb
of Bulwer and is readily accessible from Mazisi Kunene Road.
This small park contains many large indigenous trees, including
the Natal Elm, and preserves something of the original coastal
forest environment. A good birding site for forest birds
in particular, the park includes short trails on both
sides of the valley, through which a small stream runs.
Phone +27 31 201 1303

DURBAN’S BOTANIC GARDENS was established in 1849. The oldest
such park in Africa, it includes a selection of well established trees
and a small indigenous forest. The gardens are home to the rare
cycad Encephalartos woodii and includes a lovingly maintained orchid
house, an informative visitors centre and a charming coffee shop.
Located on Durban’s Berea, with a pond and beautifully landscaped
lawn at its centre, it’s the perfect place for a stress-free family outing.
Phone +27 31 322 4000
TREASURE BEACH offers a tiny, unspoilt slice of local
paradise. Located on Durban’s bluff, its mix of beach
and coastal duneland is one of Durban’s best kept
secrets. Marine life is plentiful in the lovely rock pools
and its banks offer unparalleled views of the Indian
Ocean. Group accommodation is available, as well as
day and night walks along the rocky, wavecut shore.
Phone +27 31 467 8507
KRANTZKLOOF NATURE RESERVE offers breath-taking
views of the spectacular gorge system created by the Molweni
and Nqudu Rivers. There are a number of marked self-guided
walks available through this amazing natural landscape. The
reserve includes many rare plants as well as frequent closeup
sightings of eagles and falcons. Braai facilities are available,
as well as guided walks and guided birding and game viewing.
Phone +27 31 764 3515
89

THE HAWAAN FOREST NATURE RESERVE is a 110 hectare stretch of
forest in the middle of residential Umhlanga that has survived the
process of urbanisation. The reserve is a beautiful example of coastal
lowland forest that includes many rare trees as well as a number of
small indigenous animals such as bushbuck, bushpig, duiker, mongoose
and guinea fowl. Facilities include a picnic area, guided walks,
birding and game viewing. If you’d like a guide, you need to book ahead.
Phone +27 31 201 3126/+27 (0) 31 572 6218
90
Green Space Many of Durban’s open spaces fall within the
Durban Metropolitan Open Space System, which links 2100
hectares of of open space, including nine parks, river valleys
and coastal land, and is administered by the Parks Department.
PALMIET NATURE RESERVE has a diversity of birds and
plants living among its gentle waterways, grasslands and
cliffs. With a small area of Saligna woodland, the reserve
is a lovely spot to while away an afternoon and learn
more about local fauna at the Interpretive Centre. The
reserve is also an historic site and includes part of the
original wagon route from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
Phone +27 31 203 7065
MITCHELL PARK & JAMESON PARK are located
at the top of Florida Road. With its majestic
trees and beautifully manicured flower beds,
Mitchell Park is a popular spot for family outings.
Across the road is Jameson Park, which is home
to a mass of beautifully maintained rose bushes
and which provides a wonderful view of the city.
Phone +27 31 303 2275

The Ethekwini Parks Department is
responsible for the effective development
and management of Durban’s
parks, open spaces and natural areas in
order to meet community needs. The
core functions of the department are to
develop, maintain and control the city’s
open spaces, its traffic islands and verges,
suburban sports fields and surrounds,
as well as growing and maintaining
roadside trees. Other responsibilities
include the development and upkeep of
the city’s parks and gardens, its nurseries
and plant production and the
conservation of natural areas and nature
reserves. The Department provides one
of the most vital services provided by
local councils. The development and
maintenance of a park and open space
system is a key factor that contributes
to quality of life in eThekwini. Scattered
throughout the city are parks and
recreational open spaces covering over
6 000 hectares. Unfortunately, not all
the residents of the city have equal
access to recreational open space and
to rectify this situation the Department
is now also involved in the development
of areas that previously fell outside
the jurisdiction of the Municipality.
Durban Botanic
Gardens
70 St Thomas Road
Musgrave
+27 31 322 4000
Burman Bush Nature
Reserve
101 Burman Drive
Morningside
+27 31 312 4466
Japanese Gardens
Tinsley Road
Durban North
+27 31 563 1333
Kenneth Stainbank
Nature Reserve
90 Coedmore Avenue
Yellowwood Park
+27 31 469 2807
THE UMNGENI RIVER BIRD PARK is home to more than
400 different species of bird. With a strong emphasis on
conservation and education, the park features birds from
North and South America, Africa, Indonesia and Australia
while the Cockatoo Café, situated in the heart of the bird
park, provides visitors with delicious breakfasts and light
lunches. In 2009 the eThekwini Municipality agreed to
purchase the Umgeni River Bird Park from its previous owners
Tsogo Sun Gaming, rather than allow it to close down.
Phone +27 31 579 4600
Krantzkloof Nature
Reserve
Kloof Falls Road
Kloof
+27 31 764 3515
Mitchell Park
Cnr Innes & Ferndale
Roads
Morningside
+27 31 303 2275
Pigeon Valley Park
Princess Alice Avenue
Bulwer
+27 31 201 1303
Robert Jameson
Park
350 Montpelier Road
Morningside
+27 31 312 2318
Public Gardens
Public Gardens and Reserves Outdoor Events
Shongweni
Resources Reserve
Shongweni Dam,
Shongweni
+27 31 769 1283
Umgeni River Bird
Park
Riverside Road
Umgeni
+27 31 579 4600
Ampitheatre Gardens
Snell Promenade
Durban beach front
+27 31 311 1111
Silverglen Nature
Reserve
Lakeview Drive
Chatsworth
+27 31 404 5628
Phezulu Safrai Park
5 Old Main Road
Bothas Hill
+27 31 777 1000/ 1464
Umgeni Steam
Railway
66 Old Main Road
Kloof
+27 31 303 3003
Amblers Hiking Club
1 Acacia Avenue
Westville
+27 31 266 8602
Mountain
Backpackers Club
+27 72 226 2772
Ramblers Hiking Club
+27 31 765 5029
91

AFTER THE SUCCESSFUL HOSTING OF
several Fifa World Cup games, Durban’s reputation
as a sporting city continues to grow, both in terms
of the events hosted by the city and the wealth of
sporting talent generated within eThekwini.
This is no doubt related to Durban’s subtropical
climate which allows avid sportsmen and women to
practise their sport all year round, and which
encourages a general outdoor culture and physical
exercise. The warm Indian Ocean is the ideal setting
for Durban’s many water-sport enthusiasts and
Durban’s beaches are world-renowned for their waves.
Major sporting events such as horse racing’s Durban
July and the Comrades Marathon continue to draw
attention from all over the world. Soccer and rugby
also play important roles in promoting the city, with
local games attracting crowds of over 50 000 people.
Meanwhile the sports fields and parks of Durban
are filled with friendly games, and groups meeting
for a range of organised activities, from yoga
to martial arts.
92
SPORT
CLIVE BARKER ensured himself a place in the pantheon of
South African football greats when, as manager, he led Bafana
Bafana to the African Cup of Nations title in 1996. Barker is
a born and bred Durbanite who, as well as his exploits on a
national level, has managed a variety of Durban clubs. He led
Durban City to two titles in the now defunct National
Professional Soccer League and clinched the inaugural National
Soccer League with Durban Bush Bucks. Barker
is currently the head coach of the Durban side AmaZulu.
THANDUYISE KHUBONI is a tough-tackling defensive midfielder who
currently plies his trade for the Durban-based side Golden Arrows. He
was included in the Bafana Bafana squad for the 2010 Fifa World Cup,
helping his team to a 2-1 win over France. Khuboni made his debut for
the Arrows in 2007 as a 20-year-old and has gone on to establish himself
as a key member of the squad thanks to his superb ability to read the
game. Many pundits believe he has only just begun to tap into his vast
potential and that the best is yet to come from this modest player.

HASHIM AMLA made cricketing history when he became the first
South African of Indian descent to be picked for the national cricket
team, the Proteas. Born in 1983, the elegant and wristy right hand
batsman made his debut for KZN cricket team the Dolphins while only
18 years old. His performances soon made him a favourite of the
Kingsmead crowd and it was only a matter of time before he achieved
higher honours. Amla, a devout Muslim, has also attracted praise for his
request to have logos promoting alcohol removed from his playing gear.
SEWSUNKER ‘PAPWA’ SEWGOLUM was the first person
of colour to win a professional golf tournament in South
Africa. Apartheid prevented him from achieving his true
place in golf ’s pantheon of greats, but he is nonetheless
recognised as one of the greatest players of all time.
Despite the challenges, Sewgolum still managed to win
three Dutch Opens in the 1960s, as well as two Natal
Opens. The second victory resulted in an international
outcry when Sewgolum was forced to accept his
trophy outside in the rain, because the laws of the day
prevented him from entering the club house. He died
impoverished in 1978, of a heart attack, at the age of 48.
SHAUN THOMSON was part of the Free Ride generation
which changed the face of surfing. Riding the infamous waves
along Oahu’s legendary North Shore with a style, aggression,
and courage previously unseen, they were the first riders to
really apply themselves as professional surfers. With his looks,
eloquence and athleticism, Thomson served as the face and
voice of this movement, and is still viewed as the archetypal
pro surfer. He won the IPS World Championship in 1977.
93

PENNY HEYNS is one of South Africa’s most successful swimming stars.
She is the only woman in the history of the Olympic Games to have won
both the 100m and 200m breaststroke events – at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic
Games – making her South Africa’s first post-apartheid Olympic gold medallist
following the country’s re-admission to the Games in 1992. Heyns continued
her swimming career and was asked to represent the USA in the Olympic
games but chose not to let her fellow South Africans down. As a sign of her
commitment, she sports a tattoo of the springbok on her shoulder.
94
SIYABONGA SANGWENI was part of the South
African squad that competed in the 2010 Fifa World
Cup, although the imposing defender failed to make
an appearance in the tournament. Sangweni is
usually used in the centre of defence by his club
Golden Arrows but is equally adept at playing at
right back. A no-nonsense hard man, Sangweni
made his debut for his country in 2007. As Bafana
Bafana rebuilds after the Fifa World Cup, Sangweni
should find himself playing a more pivotal role.
WENDY KHUMALO is a young, talented rugby player who
has made her mark at both provincial and international levels.
Khumalo had her first trial for the KwaZulu-Natal women’s
team while she was still at school. Although she was not picked
initially, her tenacity shone through and it wasn’t long before
she gained her provincial colours. The tough-as-teak flank
forward has already represented her country at a Rugby World
Cup. And despite a serious injury incurred at that competition,
Khumalo shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

Moses Mabhida Stadium While this
world-class stadium was specifically
built for the month-long Fifa 2010
World Cup, its impact on the city will
be felt for decades to come. Not least
of these, should it be successful, will
be the city’s bid to host the Olympics
in 2020. The stadium is a state-ofthe-art
multifunctional arena located
in the heart of the Kings Park Sporting
Precinct. It seated 70 000 fans for the
Fifa World Cup, with 54 000 of those
seats permanent, and the potential to
expand to 85 000 seats to meet the
requirements of large-scale events
such as the Olympics. The stadium
will be the jewel in the crown of the
Kings Park Sporting precinct, once
plans for the precinct are complete.
The precinct will feature additional
sporting arenas and facilities, as well
as entertainment facilities, while a
walkway linking the stadium to the
beach has already revitalised the area.
Going For Gold Durban’s plans to bid
to host the 2020 Olympics were given
a substantial boost by the decision of
the International Olympic Committee
to use the city as the venue for the IOC
General Assembly’s congress in 2011.
JORDY SMITH has set the surfing world alight. The 23-year
old Durban local has impressed experts with his fluid style
and single-minded determination to reach the top. So great
is his potential that he has been likened to South Africa’s
only previous world champion, Shaun Thomson. In 2006
Smith showed what he was capable of, when he was crowned
the ASP World Junior Champion. In 2010, he made good on
that promise and claimed the ASP World Championship,
as Thomson did more than three decades before him.
95

WALKING AROUND THE CITY OF DURBAN YOU’LL
see several strange and unfamiliar sites. What are those
white stone circles that you see all around the city? What
do the hand signals used by people at taxi stops mean?
And what is that strange prehistoric looking bird that makes
a high, startled cry? Why do so many number plates feature
the numbers 786 and why are some women’s faces painted
white or red? Why is there a tree in the middle of that oddlooking
building and why do some of the roads have two
names? Read on for answers to these questions and more
about the mysteries of Durban.
96
MYSTERIES
Hidden City Durban is a beautiful city on the surface, but,
more than most cities, much of its real beauty lies hidden
beneath the tourist-friendly mainstream. If you explore the city
on your own terms, you’ll come across unexpected treasure
troves of experience and cultural delight. Follow the streets,
talk to the locals and find out as much as you can about the
rich and unusual texture of eThekwini. Doing so will greatly
enhance your experience of this edgy African city. Local tour
operator ‘Street Scene’ offers alternative tours of Durban.
Contact +27 83 320 2765 or go to www.streetscenetours.co.za.
SHEMBE TEMPLES The white stone circles that are seen in
many of Durban’s public spaces - and even on traffic islands -
are Shembe Temples. The Shembe religion is an Africanised
Christian theology founded by the prophet Isaiah Shembe at
the end of the 19th century and is one of the largest religious
groupings in South Africa. These stone temples have ‘doors’
which are indicated by a gap in the stones and entering the
temple without using the doors is considered sacrilegious.
WHITE AND RED FACE PAINT The red and white face paint
you see on the faces of women in Durban and KwaZulu-
Natal is actually clay and chalk respectively, which women
buy at local markets in round balls, and which are
traditionally used for both beauty and ritual purposes. The
red clay is used as a natural and organic alternative to
sunscreen while the white chalk indicates that a woman
has entered her training as a sangoma (traditional healer).

TAXI SIGNALS If you see a stranger at the side of the road making
unusual hand signals, they’re not being rude. In fact, they are calling
a minibus taxi (one of the primary modes of transport for Durbanites)
and telling the driver where it is that they want to go. If you know
the sign language, it’s like carrying your own bus stop around with
you in the palm of your hand. For those tourists who favour minibuses
over the more expensive taxis, ask a local about the various
signals. Hand signals vary from region to region in South Africa.
ROAD NAMES You will notice that in some cases there
are two different names for the same road. Many of the
roads in the centre of the city have recently been renamed
to honour the heroes of South Africa’s liberation struggle
and their international comrades. To facilitate the transition
as smoothly as possible, the old names will remain for a
period of time with a red line drawn through them.
HADEDAS Visitors to Durban are often taken aback by
this strange looking bird with its curved beak and startled
cry which is seen throughout the city. The hadeda (named
for the peculiar sound it makes) is actually a species of
ibis. It is found throughout the open grasslands of central
and Southern Africa, but is equally at home in parks and
gardens throughout urban Durban. The Zulu word for
hadeda is iNkankane which is similarly onamatopeic.
97

786 Observant visitors to Durban will notice that among the
proliferation of customised number plates, as well as elsewhere in the
city, the number 786 frequently appears. This is due to the fact that
the number has great mystical or religious significance in Islam. Some
believe that 786 is the number of days in which Allah created the
world, while others think that it refers to the number of days it took
Muhammad to conquer Mecca. Regardless of its origin, the number is
displayed in personal and public spaces as an expression of faith.
TEMPLES BEING BORN Durban has a large Hindu population
and there are thus many Hindu Temples in and around the
city. Some of these temples began their lives as sites where
auspicious events have taken place. There are several such
sites in central Durban. On a traffic island in Greyville you
will see a structure built around a tree. This temple only
came into existence a few years ago when a snake was
found living there by a priest, at which point it was marked
as a holy site with the simple adornment of a sari and
coloured powder. On another main traffic route, in Springfield
Park, you will see an anthill (where a snake also appeared),
similarly wrapped in cloth and adorned with pink powder.
98
PRAYER FLAGS You might see small red triangular
flags around Durban with an image of a
monkey on them or what looks like a swastika.
These flags are Hindu flags named dhvajas, the
monkey is the Hindu deity Hanuman and the
reversed swastika is an ancient Hindu symbol.
Prayer flags are thought to impart a feeling of
harmony and represent an ancient Eastern tradition.

100
WHERE TO STAY
DURBAN HAS A FULL SPREAD OF ACCOMMODATION
options, from affordable backpacker lodges to a range
of beautifully decorated boutique hotels, bed-andbreakfast
establishments and world-class high end
hotels, all supported by friendly staff, and often
featuring an intimacy that is rare in the world of
travellers’ accomodation.
Agape Backpackers
60 Marine Drive, Bluff
+27 31 466 3960
Afrique Backpackers
1 Princess Alice Avenue
Glenwood
+27 31 205 7072
Angle Rock Backpackers
5 Alcock Road, Warner Beach
+27 31 916 7007
Anstey’s Backpackers
477 Marine Drive
Brighton Beach
+27 31 467 1192
Durban Beach Backpackers
19 Anton Lembede Street
+27 31 332 4945
Gibela Backpackers Lodge
119 9th Avenue, Morningside
+27 31 303 6292
Hippo Hide Lodge
2 Jesmond Road
Berea
+27 31 207 4366
Backpackers
Home Backpackers
34 Alcock Crescent, Tollgate
+27 31 208 9522
Illovo Beach Resort
17 Elizabeth Avenue
Illovo Beach
+27 31 916 3472
Nomads Backpackers
70 Stephen Dlamini Rd, Berea
+27 31 202 9709
Smith’s Cottagte
5 Mount Argus Road
Umgeni Heights
+27 31 564 6313
Tekweni Backpackers
169 9th Avenue,
Morningside
+27 31 303 1433
The Valley Trust
Zulu Reserve Road, Botha’s Hill
+27 31 777 1955
Travellers International
743 Currie Road
Morningside

Fairways Golf Lodge *****
Set in one of South Africa’s most pristine golf
estates among the rolling hills of Durban’s
coastline, the gracious Fairways Golf Lodge,
offers every comfort and luxury one could
desire.
Mt Edgecombe Golf Estate, Course 2
Phone +27 31 538 2900
Riverside Hotel ****
Situated above the Umgeni River, in Durban’s
beautiful “green belt”, the Riverside boasts
spectacular views, excellent service and
sound 4-star accommodation as well as close
proximity to most of Durban’s great sights
and sounds.
10 Kenneth Kaunda Drive, Durban North
Phone +27 31 563 0600
Tropicana Hotel ***
Located on the Golden Mile of Durban’s sunbaked
beaches, the Tropicana Hotel offers
both the intimacy of family living and the
professionalism of conference and function
rooms and banqueting staff.
OR Tambo Parade, Durban
Phone +27 31 368 1511
Quarters Hotel ****
Four gracious Victorian homes have been
wonderfully restored to create this charming
yet sophisticated hotel situated in one of
Durban’s prime suburbs. Fine décor and
friendly staff combine to make this hotel one
of the city’s best.
101 Florida Road, Morningside, Durban
Phone +27 31 303 5246
Hotel Izulu *****
This exclusive 5-star property combines allsuite
accommodation with a host of services
to pamper and create an unashamed
relaxation, making this one of the finest
establishments on KZN’s beautiful North
Coast.
Rey’s Place, Ballito
Phone +27 32 946 3444
Hotels/Game Lodges
Amakhosi Lodge *****
Amakhosi offers six magnificent 5-star lodges
overlooking the Mkuze River, and a game
reserve unrivalled for abundance and beauty.
Amakhosi marries the wilderness of Africa
with the majesty of 5-star accommodation.
R69, Magudu
+27 34 414 1157
The Royal Hotel *****
Set in the heart of cosmopolitan Durban, this
5-star “haven of grace” is in close proximity
to all amenities, and is founded on world
class standards of hospitality and service.
Elegance and luxury make The Royal a muststay
in Durban. It is indeed aptly named.
267 Anton Lembede Street, City Centre
+27 31 333 6000
Lynton Hall *****
Set in a spectacular coastal forest near one of
Africa’s most beautiful beaches, Lynton Hall is a
gracious colonial property. Voted one of the ‘Top
80 hotels in the world’ by Condé Nast, it ranks
as one of the country’s most superb properties.
Umdoni Village, Douglas Road, Scottburgh
+27 39 975 3122
Thanda Private Game Reserve *****
Set in one of South Africa’s prime Big Five
game reserves, Thanda is dedicated to the
rehabilitation of KZN’s natural ecosystems
and the celebration of Zulu culture. Nine
luxury private villas set in the heart of pristine
wilderness, make up this beautiful lodge.
Hluhluwe
Phone +27 11 469 5082
Mkuze Falls Private Game Reserve *****
This luxury game lodge overlooks the
waterfalls of the Mkuze River. In the middle
of a 10 000 hectare Big Five game reserve,
this is one of the most exclusive and beautiful
lodges in KwaZulu-Natal.
R66, Magudu
+27 34 414 1018
101

102
GOVERNANCE
AS WITH ALL CITIES AND INSTITUTIONS IN SOUTH
Africa, Durban has had to change fundamentally in order
to accommodate and assimilate itself within the context of
the new South Africa, and provide services to all of the
city’s residents.
The organisational transformation agenda of the City
has been driven by an analysis of both what will be delivered
and how it will be delivered. In this new model, the City
Manager heads the city management structure, assisted
by six Deputy City Managers. These deputies each lead
one of six clusters supported by technical and professional
staff. These clusters are: Sustainable Development and
City Enterprises; Procurement and Infrastructure; Health,
Safety and Social Services; Governance; Corporate and
Human Resources; and finally the Treasury.
Political Structure The Municipality has 200 Councillors. 100
are directly elected ward Councillors, and 100 are selected
through proportional representation. The Municipality consists
of the Executive Committee that reports to the full Council.
Traditional Leadership In the eThekwini Municipality there are 17
Amakhosi (traditional leaders) within the municipal area of
jurisdiction. The Municipality works closely with traditional leadership
and has structural communication channels in place to ensure
continuous interaction. The Amakhosi meet on a monthly basis in
their chamber in Pinetown. The Council has seconded staff from
the Municipality to assist the Amakhosi Chamber with administrative
issues and secretariat activities. Given the commitment to
strengthening the partnership with the Amakhosi, the Municipality
is currently exploring other mechanisms to further engage traditional
leadership as the City’s Integrated Development Plan goes forward.
THE SIX CLUSTERS OF CITY GOVERNMENT
The organisational structure of Durban’s city government
has been designed so that the the buck stops at exactly the
right places.
1. Sustainable Development and City Enterprises bears
responsibility for development planning and management,
economic development, city enterprises, business support,
and the development and maintenance of markets around
the city.
2. Procurement and Infrastructure This cluster is concerned
with procurement as well as housing, electricity, water and
sanitation, engineering, transport and ensuring a clean city.
3. Health, Safety and Social Services This cluster looks after
health issues in the city as well as the Metro police, emergency
services, parks, recreation, cemeteries and culture.
4. Governance is responsible for City Hall’s administration
and secretariat, communications, regional centres, and
community participation and action support.
5. Corporate and Human Resources are responsible for HR,
skills development, management services, organisational
development, legal services and occupational health and
safety.
6. The Treasury looks after the city’s finances, its real estate
and its automobile fleet.

OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
The office of the City Manager is fully staffed with a
Geographic Information and Policy Office, an independent
Ombudsperson Office, International and Governance
Relations, and Audit offices.
Geographic Information and Policy Office The Geographic
Information and Policy Office (GIPO) was set up to spark
a new creative spirit of bold and innovative thinking
around corporate policies. It produces research on our
citizens’ quality of life, coordinates local government’s
input into the census, and manages the Corporate
Geographic Information Systems and Information
Technology outputs and operations.
Office of the Ombudsperson The functions of this office,
which was established in December 2002, include defending
citizens’ rights, investigating all complaints, ensuring that
the principles of fairness and equity prevail in decisionmaking,
ensuring compliance with transformation legislation,
preparing and implementing the “clean administration”
programme, and ensuring the develop-ment of programmes
within various units that appropriately deal with racism,
sexism, xenophobia and related intolerances.
COUNCIL AND ITS COMMITTEES Council
Committees are made up of elected politicians. It is
through the committee structures that elected
representatives set policies and guide implementation
of all aspects of Council delivery. The nature, type
and procedures of these committees are governed by
national legislation.
A full meeting of all councillors is held monthly, covering
all committee and subcommittee decisions including those
of the Executive Committee. Membership of the ninemember
Executive Committee is based on the number of
votes achieved by parties in local government elections.
Informing and advising the Executive Committee is a
International and Governance Relations Office As a
result of the establishment of a full-time staffed Office on
International and Governance Relations, our Municipality
has been able to coordinate its efforts relating to
international liaison. In particular, during the current term
of office numerous partnerships have been entered into
with key international agencies and sister cities. In addition
to international liaison coordination, the newly established
Office has played an important role in ensuring that the
spheres of government align their programmes
towards promoting more holistic development.
Internal Audit and Performance Management Office
Over the past few years, this office has been involved
in ensuring that there is a rigorous system of internal
control in the city. This has had a positive effect on the
credit rating status of eThekwini and good corporate
governance. Perhaps the most significant achievement
in strategic terms has been the in-house development
of a Performance Management System. The task of
implementing a PMS in a large Municipality without
external assistance and expertise is daunting, but
eThekwini Municipality has deliberately chosen to
develop the system internally.
number of support committees which focus on particular
areas of the Council’s work, for example: Town Planning,
Health and Safety, Economic Development and Planning,
Infrastructure, Transport, Culture and Recreation, Housing,
Land and Human Resources.
The support committees are themselves further divided
into a number of standing subcommittees which deal with
specific issues. These committees and their subcommittees
meet regularly to review issues and prepare recommendations
for the Executive Committee and full Council.
Public attendance at Council meetings is encouraged
to enable citizens to observe and understand the most
senior decision-making body in the Municipality.
103

TRANSPORTATION
THE KING SHAKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT RECEIVES
direct flights from various international destinations. Check
their website for arrivals and departures. Various domestic
services also fly frequently from the airport. These include
Kulula, OneTime, SA Express and SAA. Inter-city coaches and
trains are reasonably priced and depart daily for various
destinations. Check out the Greyhound, Baz Bus and Magic
Bus websites.
Within Durban the Mynah Bus and the People Mover buses
offer a frequent and reliable local bus service that ferries
passengers between the north and south beaches, the CBD
and surrounding suburbs. Visitors to the city are advised to
use conventional taxi cabs if they are going to be traveling
within the city and its immediate suburbs. For more extensive
driving, a hire-car is the most sensible option.
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ETCETERA
Your Safety In Our City Durban’s CBD in partnership with the Metro
Police, the South African Police (SAP) and Tourist Protection Unit,
has gone to considerable efforts to safeguard tourists against crime.
Surveillance cameras and improved lighting have been installed on
the beachfront, and security guards watch over most shopping
centres and large businesses. Nonetheless, visitors to our city should
take the sensible precautions they would in any major city. Avoid
carrying large sums of money, loose cameras or video cameras,
and leaving belongings unattended. As in most big cities, it is
sensible to take advice from locals about where to go after dark.
MONEY MATTERS
Currency The local currency is the South African Rand.
Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) will accept most
international bank/credit cards including Visa, Cirrus and
Maestro.
Credit Cards South Africa has one of the world’s most
sophisticated banking systems, and most shops, hotels and
restaurants will accept credit cards.
VAT South Africa has adopted a Value Added Tax system of
14% on purchases and services. If you are a foreign visitor
to South Africa, you can reclaim VAT on your purchases,
provided the total claim exceeds R250. VAT is refunded at
the VAT Refund Office (see below) at King Shaka International
Airport. Ensure that you receive a tax invoice from the store
where you make your purchase, and on departure from South
Africa present your goods and tax invoice for inspection at
the VAT refund desk. Then collect your VAT refund cheque.
Be sure to have your purchases readily available for inspection
on departure from South Africa.
VAT Refund Office
King Shaka International Airport
+27 32 436 9050
VAT Refund Administrator
+27 11 394 1117 (Johannesburg)

Consulates
Australia Tel: +27 31 209 7351 Fax: +27 31 209 4081
Belguim Tel: +27 31 303 2840 Fax: +27 31 312 0434
Canada Tel: +27 31 303 9695 Fax: +27 31 303 9694
Chile Tel: +27 31 312 8608 Fax: +27 31 312 8608
Denmark Tel: +27 31 202 9396 Fax: +27 31 202 9399
Germany Tel: +27 31 305 5677 Fax: +27 31 305 5679
Greece Tel: +27 31 301 4880 Fax: +27 31 301 4663
India Tel: +27 31 304 7020 Fax: +27 31 301 4663
Italy Tel: +27 31 368 4388 Fax: +27 31 368 4504
Netherlands Tel: +27 31 202 0461 Fax: +27 31 201 5043
Norway/Sweden Tel: +27 31 207 6900 Fax: +27 31 207 5909
Portugal Tel: +27 31 305 7511 Fax: +27 31 304 6036
Rep. Madagascar Tel: +27 31 312 9704 Fax: +27 31 312 9704
Rep. Mozambique Tel: +27 31 304 0200 Fax: +27 31 304 0774
Spain Tel: +27 31 764 2574 Fax: +27 31 764 2550
United Kingdom Tel: +27 31 305 3041 Fax: +27 31 307 4661
USA Tel: +27 31 305 7600 Fax: +27 31 305 7650
Uruguay Tel: +27 31 362 7331 Fax: +27 31 362 7331
Forex
Rennies +27 31 305 5722
Anton Lembede Street, Durban Bay House
First National Bank
Main Branch
Corner of Anton Lembede and Joe Slovo Street +27 31 369 5411
Beach Branch +27 31 337 9464
End of West Street
Standard Bank
Main Branch +27 31 366 3811
Standard House, Dr Pixley KaSeme Street
American Express
Main Branch +27 31 301 5541
No.1 Durban Club Place
Musgrave +27 31 202 8733
213 Musgrave Road, Berea
Umhlanga +27 31 566 2620
Shop 3D, 314 Umhlanga Rocks Drive
The Pavilion +27 31 265 1455
Shop 248C, The Pavilion, Spine Road
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106
TOURIST SERVICES
Tourist Junction +27 31 304 4934
Visitor Information Bureau
Old Station Building, 1st Floor,
160 Monty Naicker Road
Mon-Fri: 08:00-16:30
Sat: 09:00-14:00
Beach Office +27 31 332 2595
Joe Kool’s Complex,
Mon-Fri: 08:00-17:00
Sat: 08:30-16:30
Sun & Pub. Hols: 09:00-16:00
Airport Tourist Info Office +27 32 436 0035
+27 31 451 6950
uShaka Marine World +27 32 436 0013
Metro Info Centre 0800 331 011
City Communications Unit +27 31 311 4827
King Shaka International Airport +27 32 436 6758
KZN Tourism Authority +27 31 366 7500
Thousand Hills Tourism +27 31 777 1874
Amanzimtoti Tourism +27 31 903 7498
Sugar Coast Tourism +27 31 561 4257
Dolphin Coast Tourism +27 32 946 1997
Parks Board Reservations
South African National Parks +27 31 304 4934
KZN Wildlife +27 31 304 4934
City Walking Tours +27 31 304 4934
Oriental, Historical and Durban +27 31 332 2595
Experience tours depart from
Tourist Junction daily. Booking
essential. Weather permitting.
Weather Information
General +27 82 162
Maritime +27 31 307 4135
Useful Phone Numbers
GENERAL SERVICES
Computicket +27 83 915 8000
Playhouse Company +27 31 369 9555
City Hall +27 31 111 1111
ICC +27 31 360 1000
Metro Rail +27 31 361 7609
Main Line Enquiries +27 31 361 3388
Main Line Reservations +27 31 361 7464
Automobile Association (AA)
Shop 317, Musgrave Centre, +27 31 201 5244
Musgrave Road
Shop 255, Pavilion, +27 31 265 0437
Spine Road
The Post Office +27 31 336 3333
Corner Dr Pixley KaSeme &
Dorothy Nyembe Street
Mon-Fri (excl Wed): 08:00-16:30
Wed: 08:30-16:30
Sat: 08:00-12:00
Durban Library +27 31 311 2213
Mon-Fri: 09:00-16:30
Sat: 08:30-14:30
Visas +27 31 304 1419
The Visa Shop, 78 Joe Slovo Street
AIDS Counselling +27 31 765 5886
Recommended Taxi Services:
Mozzie cabs +27 31 303 5787
Bunny cabs, +27 31 332 2914
Eagle Taxis +27 31 337 8333
Ucabs +27 31 461 1846

Emergency Numbers
Emergency Services +27 31 361 0000
(Cellphone users: Dial 112.
Operator will redirect call)
Police Flying Squad 10111
Ambulance Services
Ambulance 10177
City Med +27 31 309 1404/1178
SA Red Cross +27 31 337 6522
St John +27 31 305 6588
Netcare +27 82 911
0800 333 444
Public Hospitals
Addington +27 31 327 2000
King Edward VIII +27 31 360 3111
Crompton - Pinetown +27 31 702 0777
Chief Albert Luthuli +27 31 240 1000
Private Hospitals
Entabeni +27 31 204 1300
St Augustine’s +27 31 268 5000
Westville Hospital +27 31 265 0911
Umhlanga Hospital +27 31 560 5500
Kingsway Hospital +27 31 904 3600
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108
Photo Credits
Welcome to Durban
Pages 1-8
All images Peter Machen.
History
Pages 10-15
All images courtesy of Allan Jackson, except
Page 14 Statue of John Ross by Peter Machen
Page 14 Gandhi image from wikicommons.org.
City Plans
Pages 16-25
All images Peter Machen, except
Page 16 ICC courtesy of the ICC
Page 17 Nandi Drive courtesy of Moreland
Page 19 Courtesy of ACSA and Dube Trade Port
Page 20 Galleria, courtesy of Galleria, Hammarsdale
supplied by eThekwini.
Page 22 Bridge City courtesy of Bridge City; automotive
cluster: Courtesy of eThekwini Municipality
Page 23 The Value of Durban’s Open Spaces by Peter
Bendheim
Page 21 King’s Park Sports District supplied by eThekwini.
Faith
Pages 26-29
All images Peter Machen, except
Page 26 Hare Krishna by Val Adamson
Page 27 Judaism by Lizette Gluch.
Commerce
Pages 30-35
All images Peter Machen, except
Page 31 Conferencing courtesy of the ICC
Page 33 Gateway, Connectivity and Umhlanga Ridge by
Peter Bendheim.
Eating
Pages 36-41
All images Peter Machen, except
Page 40 Roma Revolving Restaurant courtesy of Roma.
Page 37 Head Markets and Mealies on the Street by Val
Adamson.
Building
Pages 40-45
All images Peter Machen, except
Page 45 Moses Mabhida Stadium
Page 45 Design Workshop : SA
Page 46 King Shaka International airport
Page 46 Rodney Choromanski Architects
Page 47 Rodney Harber & Associates
all supplied by the architects.
Design
Pages 48-53
All images Peter Machen, except
Page 49 Christian Mugnai
Page 50 Mr Walker
Page 51 Egg design
Page 52 Disturbance and Nanda Sooben
all supplied by the designers.
Writing
Pages 54-57
All images courtesy of the writers and their publishers.
Art
Pages 58-63
All images courtesy of the artists, except
Page 62 Picture of Michael McGarry by Suzy Bernstein
Page 63 Art in Public Buildings by Peter Machen.

Music
Pages 64-71
All images Peter Machen, except
Page 64 Busi Mhlongo by Rafs Mayet, courtesy of Neil
Comfort
Page 65 The South Jersey Pom-Poms courtesy of the
band
Page 65 Joseph Shabalala courtesy of Gallo Music
Page 65 Richard Haslop by Harry Locke
Page 66 The Arrows courtesy of the Arrows
Page 67 Guy Buttery courtesy of the Famous Ideas
Company, pic by Suzy Bernstein
Page 67 Phuzekhemisi courtesy of Sony Records
Page 68 Dominion courtesy of the band
Page 68 Black Coffee courtesy of the band
Page 68 Big Nuz courtesy of the band
Page 69 DJ Tira courtesy of the band
Page 69 Neli Shabalala courtesy of Gallo Records
Page 69 Martin McHale courtesy of Martin McHale
Page 70 Fruit&Veg by Justin McGee
Page 70 The Fataars courtesy of the The Fataars
Page 70 Nibs van der Spuy courtesy of Nibs van der Spuy
Page 71 Phuzekhemisi courtesy of Sony Records.
Dance
Pages 72-75
All images courtesy of Val Adamson, except
Page 72 Siwela Sonke courtesy of Jay Pather
Page 73 Jomba courtesy of the Centre for Creative Arts
Page 74 Desire Davids courtesy of Desire Davids
Page 74 Mlu Zondi courtesy of Famous Ideas Company,
pic by Suzy Bernstein.
Theatre
Pages 76-79
All images courtesy of the actors.
Film
Pages 80-83
All images courtesy of the filmmakers.
Museums
Pages 84-87
All photos by Peter Machen, except
Page 86 Phansi museum supplied by Phansi.
Getting Out
Pages 88-91
All images supplied by Ethekwini.
Sport
Pages 92-95
All images supplied by the sports people, except
Page 92 courtesy of Independent Newspapers
Page 83 Papwa Sewgolum from wikicommons.org
Page 84 Penny Heyns courtesy of Omni Share Holdings
Page 85 Jordy Smith courtesy of Luellen Smith, pic by
Jeff Ayliffe
Page 85 Moses Mabhida Stadium, supplied by eThekwini.
Mysteries
Pages 96-99
All images Peter Machen, except
Page 97 Hadeda – Wikipedia commons.
Accomodation
Pages 100-101
All images Peter Machen.
Governance
Pages 102-103
All images Peter Machen.
Etcetera
Pages 104-107
All images Peter Machen.
109