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99-472: Although Umzinto has historically been predominantly populated by Indians , it has become a melting pot of cultures and races with a significant number of Black and Coloured residents residing here too. "Umzinto" is said to be derived from the Zulu " umenzi wezinto ", meaning "the kraal [or place] of accomplishment". According to an urban legend, the town's name derived from a visit by two men, one of whom

198-779: A deal for purchasing the bay. The Noord arrived on 9 December 1689, whereafter the Dutch Cape Colony purchased the Bay of Natal from the Abambo people for £1,650. A formal contract was drawn up by Laurens van Swaanswyk and signed by the chief of the Abambo people, with the crew of the Stavenisse acting as translators. By 1822, James Saunders King, captain of the British ship Salisbury , together with Lt. Francis George Farewell , both men being former Royal Navy officers from

297-484: A first language or second language. In some small towns in the former Transvaal, Afrikaans is used as a first language by older Indians. Almost all younger people have English as their first language. The compulsory second language taught at school, such as Afrikaans or Zulu , is either spoken or understood. As a result of promotion by cultural organisations and the influence of Indian cinemas, many younger Indians can understand (but not usually speak) Indian languages to

396-564: A humble beginning". The blazon of the arms registered by the South African Bureau of Heraldry and granted to Durban on 9 February 1979. The coat of arms fell into disuse with the re-organisation of the South African local government structure in 2000. The seal ceased to be used in 1995. With the end of apartheid , Durban was subject to restructuring of local government. Its first mayor was Sipho Ngwenya . In 1996,

495-591: A legal dispute. Following his arrival in South Africa, Gandhi experienced racial discrimination, and, following the proposal of legislation to restrict Indian voting rights in Natal, he helped organise resistance, leading to the formation of the Natal Indian Congress . This organised resistance led to the unification of disparate groups of South African Indians for the first time. Although the bill

594-407: A limited degree. Recent immigrants from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have maintained fluency in their mother tongues. Curried dishes are popular in South Africa among people of all ethnic origins; many dishes came to the country with the thousands of Indian labourers brought to South Africa in the nineteenth century. South African Indian cuisine adapted to local ingredients, and dishes include

693-523: A link between the government and the Indian people. The University of Durban-Westville (now part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal ) was built with a Rand-for-Rand contribution from Indian South Africans and the government in the 1970s. Before that, Indian students had to take a ferry to Salisbury Island's abandoned prison, which served as their university. Casual racist expressions were used during

792-676: A newspaper aimed largely at the Indian community. A national Sunday paper, the Sunday Tribune is also published by Independent Newspapers as is the Independent on Saturday . A major city initiative is the eZasegagasini Metro Gazette . The national broadcaster, the SABC, has regional offices in Durban and operates two major stations there. The Zulu language Ukhozi FM has a huge national listenership of more than 6.67 million, making it

891-465: A number of smaller stations which are independent, having been granted licences by ICASA, the national agency charged with the issue of broadcast licences. Durban was initially successful in its bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games , but had to withdraw in March 2017 from the role of hosts when the government withdrew its subsidy due to financial constraints. Birmingham , England replaced Durban as

990-464: A small yet bustling town that serves as a service centre to the surrounding rural communities. Typical of many small South African towns, Umzinto has a singular main road, Nelson Mandela Road, that forms the backbone of the town lined by a number of national and local retailers and businesses. Umzinto was once the home of three large textile mills , namely Alitex, Bally Spinning Mills and MYM Textiles that used to export abroad. Today only one survives and

1089-455: A trading post at Port Natal, and later that year, Shaka , the Zulu king, granted them land around the Bay. In 1835, the settlement was named after Sir Benjamin D'Urban , then governor of Cape Colony, and became a borough in 1854. From 1860 onwards, indentured labourers from British India arrived in Durban, as well as later passenger Indians . Natal colony , which had grown, became a province of

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1188-638: A variety of curries, rotis, sweetmeats , chutneys , fried snacks such as samosa (called samoosa in South Africa ), and other savoury foods. Bunny chow , an Indian dish from Durban consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with curry, was invented by necessity, as Indians were not allowed to eat at their own restaurants. The dish forms part of mainstream South African cuisine and has become quite popular. Even though Indian languages are seldom spoken or understood by younger Indians, English- subtitled Indian films and television programmes remain popular among South African Indians. These are broadcast both by

1287-505: A year and most of it comes from KwaZulu-Natal. Durban has a number of informal and semi-formal street vendors. The Warwick Junction Precinct is home to a number of street markets, with vendors selling goods from traditional medicine, to clothing and spices. The city's treatment of shack dwellers was criticised in a report from the United Nations linked Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions and there has also been criticism of

1386-579: Is a free public library network with 90 circulating branch libraries across the metropolitan area, and the Central Reference Library at the Liberty Towers Building, which includes a significant collection of Africana books . The Phansi Museum is located in the historic Roberts House, a 19th-century colonial mansion and former home of Esther Roberts, a librarian and collector of Africana, member and supporter of

1485-538: Is also estimated that there are around 13,000 Sikhs in South Africa. The majority of South African Muslims are Indian or belong to the multi-ethnic community in the Western Cape. The proportion of Indian South Africans following Hinduism have decreased from 50% in 1996 to 47.27% in 2001. This decreased to 41.3% in 2016, and further decreased to 37.9% in 2022. This is mainly due to the conversion of Hindus to Christianity by missionaries. Like Coloureds, until

1584-746: Is commonly referred to by residents as not just the city proper but the Greater Durban metropolitan area that sometimes extends beyond eThekwini to include Scottburgh , Ballito and KwaDukuza . Similarly, the demonym of a "Durbanite" not only refers to people who live within Durban proper but to residents of the Greater Durban metropolitan area. Durban has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfa ), with hot, humid summers and mild to warm, moderately dry winters, which are frost-free. Durban has an annual rainfall of 1,009 millimetres (39.7 in). The average temperature in summer ranges around 24 °C (75 °F), while in winter

1683-598: Is dated as the beginning of Indian settlement in Natal, a farmer called ER Rathbone was the first to introduce Indian labour to the colony in 1849. Indentured labourers on sugar plantations were frequently mistreated and lived in unsanitary conditions. A large percentage of indentured labourers returned to India following the expiry of their terms, and some of those who returned alerted authorities in India to abuses taking place in Natal, which led to new safeguards being put in place before further recruiting of indentured labourers

1782-433: Is ethnically diverse, with a cultural richness of mixed beliefs and traditions. Zulus form the largest single ethnic group. It has a large number of people of British and Indian descent. The influence of Indians in Durban has been significant, bringing with them a variety of cuisine, culture and religion. In the years following the end of apartheid, there was a population boom as black Africans were allowed to move into

1881-557: Is not as productive as it used to be. Consequently, this has affected the economy of Umzinto negatively. Umzinto hosted two class-A cricket matches at the Alexandra Memorial Ground, one on 2 March 1974, when Natal B hosted Griqualand West in the Currie Cup Section B, and again on 19 March 1977, when Natal B faced Border in the same contest. The municipality has not maintained the roads and currently

1980-499: Is now a performing arts centre with five venues. The refurbishment architects, Small & Pettit & Robson, were awarded the 1987 Institute of South African Architects Natal Award of Merit for the work. home to the Playhouse Theatre Company. The company's mission is "is to provide cultural education and entertainment in both an African and international context" and, apart from drama and dance performances,

2079-661: Is the third-most populous city in South Africa , after Johannesburg and Cape Town , and the largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal . Situated on the east coast of South Africa, on the Natal Bay of the Indian Ocean , Durban is largest port city in sub-saharan Africa and was formerly named Port Natal. North of the harbour and city centre lies the mouth of the Umgeni River ; the flat city centre rises to

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2178-663: The Art Gallery and Natural Science Museum at City Hall , the Tudor-style Playhouse Theatre, uShaka Marine World , and the International Convention Centre . In addition to various architectural styles, ranging from Victorian to contemporary , Art Deco left its stamp on many of Durban's buildings. As of 2018, the metro area contributed 59.9% and 9.6% to the provincial and national gross domestic product , respectively;

2277-484: The Black Sash anti-apartheid group. The collection and library is now linked to the University of KwaZulu-Natal . It is one of the most extensive Southern African art museums in the world, founded by Paul Mikula, who purchased artefacts from traditional craftspeople through Southern Africa over 30 years. The collection includes 19th-century beadwork , pottery, carvings, and textiles. Talks and exhibitions are held at

2376-477: The DStv satellite television service, which carries Zee TV , B4U , NDTV , and a Hindi-language Sony channel. In addition, Tamil –language channels, Sun TV and KTV, were introduced in 2004. DVD, and previously, video versions of Bollywood films are widely available. Large cinema chains like Ster-Kinekor began showing Bollywood films by the early 2000s. Indian culture in South Africa has some similarities to

2475-525: The Durban South Africa Temple ( The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ). There are also mosques and Hindu temples. From its earlier years to the present, many layers have added to Durban's architectural heritage: Victorian , Edwardian , Islamic , Hindu , modernist , and contemporary . Additionally, and in contrast to the classical styles then prevalent, Art Deco found expression in many of Durban's buildings in

2574-551: The Group Areas Act , applied in 1950, Indians were forcibly moved into Indian townships , and had their movements restricted. They were not allowed to reside in the Orange Free State Province , and needed special permission to enter or transit through that province. They were also, as a matter of state policy, given an inferior education compared to white South Africans . The Asiatic Land Tenure and

2673-607: The Mysorean Muslim king Hyder Ali to overthrow the king of Cochin, Kalaga Prabhu and his son Chorda Prabhu were arrested by the Dutch and exiled with their families for life to the Cape of Good Hope in 1771. No further record of this individual and his descendants if any exists. Almost all South African Indians are either Hindu , Christian , or Muslim . There are also small groups of Parsis , Sikhs , and Buddhists . It

2772-656: The Napoleonic Wars , were engaged in trade between the Cape and Delagoa Bay . On a return trip to the Cape in 1823, they were caught in a severe storm and decided to risk the Bar and anchor in the Bay of Natal. The crossing went well and they found safe anchor from the storm. Lt. King decided to map the Bay and named the "Salisbury and Farewell Islands". In 1824 Lt. Farewell, together with a trading company called J. R. Thompson & Co., decided to open trade relations with Shaka

2871-551: The South African government and Indian authorities had a Round Table conference where it was agreed that the Indian government would create a scheme for the repatriation of Indians, with the South African government agreeing to "uplift" the Indians who remained, monitored by an Indian government Agent. However, fewer Indians than expected were repatriated, and racial tensions continued to simmer between Indians and whites, into

2970-514: The places of worship , there are predominantly Christian churches and temples. These include: Zion Christian Church , Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa , Assemblies of God , Baptist Union of Southern Africa ( Baptist World Alliance ), Methodist Church of Southern Africa ( World Methodist Council ), Anglican Church of Southern Africa ( Anglican Communion ), Presbyterian Church of Africa ( World Communion of Reformed Churches ), Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Durban ( Catholic Church ) and

3069-437: The post-apartheid South Africa . These recent migrants are usually not regarded as being part of the Indian community, although they often live in traditionally Indian areas. Among these post-apartheid immigrants, the controversial Gupta family from India, managed to acquire vast political and economic influence in a short time, under the reign of former President Jacob Zuma . Traders from India may have been active on

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3168-468: The sugarcane plantations of Natal Colony , and, in total, approximately 200,000 Indians arrived as indentured labourers over a period of 5 decades, later also as indentured coal miners and railway workers. The indentured labourers tended to speak Tamil , Telugu , Bhojpuri and the Awadhi dialect of Hindi , and the majority were Hindu with Muslim and Christian minorities. Indians were imported as it

3267-616: The white minority , which held the vast majority of political power. During the period of apartheid from 1948 to 1994, Indian South Africans were legally classified as being a separate racial group. Some Indian South Africans believed that these terms were improvements on the negatively defined identity of "Non-White", which was their previous status. Politically conscious and nationalistic Indian South Africans wanted to show both their heritage and their local roots in South Africa. Increasingly they self-identified as "African", "South African" and, when necessary, "Indian South Africans". During

3366-418: The " Cape Coloured " and Cape Malay communities. White Afrikaners also may have some Indian slave ancestry, an example of this being former State President F.W. de Klerk , who revealed in his autobiography that one of his ancestors was a female slave called Diana of Bengal . There is no reference to the real names of these Indians and were given "Christian" names for convenience. This all contributed to

3465-469: The 1940s. The Durban riots was an anti-Indian riot predominantly by Zulus targeting Indians in Durban, South Africa in January 1949. The riots resulted in the massacre of mostly poor Indians. In total 142 people died in the riots and another 1,087 people were injured. It also led to the destruction of 58 shops, 247 dwellings and one factory. Discriminated against by apartheid legislation, such as

3564-614: The 20th century, varying in manner from area to area. Two major English-language daily newspapers are published in Durban, both part of the Independent Newspapers, the national group owned by Sekunjalo Investments . These are the morning editions of The Mercury and the afternoon Daily News . Like most news media in South Africa, they have seen declining circulations in recent years. Major Zulu language papers comprise Isolezwe (Independent Newspapers), UmAfrika and Ilanga . Independent Newspapers also publish Post ,

3663-538: The 6 July 1846. The sugar cane fields on the outskirts of Umzinto are owned and run by Crookes Brothers, a JSE listed company. Umzinto was named the last town in Durban in 1963. Umzinto lies just inland from the coastal village of Park Rynie , in hilly countryside and to the north of the uMzinto River, after which it is named. The nearest settlements to Umzinto include Park Rynie (8 km), Amandawe (10 km), Scottburgh (12 km), Pennington (16 km) and Amahlongwa (16 km). Today, Umzinto has become

3762-482: The Apartheid government which strictly codified the physical and cultural boundaries between "race groups", and encouraged these group identities. As a result of these Apartheid rules, South Africans continue to identify themselves, and informally classify each other as, " blacks ", " whites ", " Coloureds " and "Indians". Despite living in South Africa for more than 150 years, and being an officially recognized part of

3861-576: The Bay, 40 km (25 mi) north of the Bay and 160 km (100 mi) inland. Farewell took possession of this grant and raised the Union Jack with a Royal Salute, which consisted of four cannon shots and twenty musket shots. Only six of the original eighteen would-be settlers remained, and these six can be regarded as the founders of Port Natal as a British colony. These six were joined by Lt. James Saunders King and Nathaniel Isaacs in 1825. The modern city of Durban thus dates from 1824, when

3960-452: The Berea increased 10.9% between 2001 and 2011 from 536,644 to 595,061. The proportion of black Africans increased while the proportion of people in all the other racial groups decreased. Black Africans increased from 34.9% to 51.1%; Indians or Asians decreased from 27.3% to 24.0%; whites decreased from 25.5% to 15.3%; and Coloureds decreased from 10.26% to 8.59%. A new racial group, "Other",

4059-483: The British had to withdraw to their camp, which was put under siege. A local trader Dick King and his servant Ndongeni were able to escape the blockade and rode to Grahamstown , a distance of 600 km (370 mi) in fourteen days to raise reinforcements. The reinforcements arrived in Durban 20 days later; the Voortrekkers retreated, and the siege was lifted. Fierce conflict with the Zulu population led to

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4158-533: The Durban area, to refer to themselves. Card games , in particular, the trick-taking card game Thunee (similar to Twenty-eight ) are popular among South African Indians. Radio Hindvani is a community radio station based in Durban and is aimed at the promotion of Hindi culture and language amongst South Africans. The station's frequency reaches Durban and all surrounding areas. Durban Durban ( / ˈ d ɜːr b ə n / DUR -bən ; Zulu : eThekwini , from itheku meaning "bay, lagoon")

4257-478: The Greater Durban agglomeration has experienced, virtually adjoining surrounding smaller towns, has made boundaries in the metropolitan area quite complicated. Durban proper, which is the main city, is demarcated by its administrative city limits, which are only as large to include the city centre , the Bluff , Berea , Durban North , Mobeni as well as Umbogintwini , Athlone Park , Isipingo and Prospecton to

4356-692: The Indian Representative Act of 1946 were repealed. The Population Registration Act, 1950 initially defined Indians as being part of the Coloured population. In 1961, Indians were officially recognised as permanent part of the South African population, the Department of Indian Affairs was established, with a white minister in charge. In 1968, the South African Indian Council came into being, serving as

4455-626: The KwaZulu-Natal coast at Christmastide in 1497 while searching for a route from Europe to India. He named the area Natal , meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese . In 1686, a ship from the Dutch East India Company named Stavenisse was wrecked off the eastern coast of South Africa. Some of the survivors made their way to the Bay of Natal (Durban) where they were taken in by the "Abambo" tribe ( Hlubi people ), which

4554-810: The Transvaal. Persons of colour could also not walk on sidewalks in the Transvaal. Following the end of the Second Boer War, the new colonial administration of the Transvaal Colony continued to maintain the same discriminatory practices against Indians. Passenger Indians who moved to the Cape Colony , although facing petty discrimination, were generally well treated, could own property, could vote, and could trade freely. Many Muslim men in this group married Cape Malay women, and their children were later often classified as Cape Malay as part of

4653-780: The Umzinto CBD and provides access to the R612, while the R612 is an east–west regional route connecting Park Rynie with Ixopo that by-passes Umzinto to the south and provides access to the N2 freeway (to Durban and Port Shepstone ) by-passing Umzinto to the east. Umzinto can also be accessed by turning off the R612 onto Park Rynie Road from the south-east. Indian South Africans Second languages Indian South Africans are South Africans who descend from indentured labourers and free migrants who arrived from British India during

4752-519: The Union of South Africa in 1910, and Durban was granted city status in 1935. Durban has a rich, diverse heritage, with large Zulu , Indian , White , and Coloured populations. Historically, it was a popular tourist destination domestically because of its beaches and warm climate, but in recent years, tourism has declined. Some notable places are the Golden Mile beachfront, Botanic Gardens ,

4851-706: The Voortrekkers and the Zulus prompted the governor of the Cape Colony to dispatch a force under Captain Charlton Smith to establish British rule in Natal, for fear of losing British control in Port Natal. The force arrived on 4 May 1842 and built a fortification that was later to be The Old Fort . On the night of 23/24 May 1842, the British attacked the Voortrekker camp at Congella. The attack failed, and

4950-534: The Zulu King, and establish a trading station at the Bay. Henry Francis Fynn , another trader at Delagoa Bay, was also involved in this venture. Fynn left Delagoa Bay and sailed for the Bay of Natal on the brig Julia , while Farewell followed six weeks later on the Antelope . Between them they had 26 possible settlers, although only 18 stayed. On a visit to King Shaka, Henry Francis Fynn succeeded in befriending

5049-446: The additional accounting for the "low-probability, high-damage events" may increase aggregate risks to USD 187 billion for the "moderate" RCP4.5, USD 206 billion for RCP8.5 and USD 397 billion under the high-end ice sheet instability scenario. Since sea level rise would continue for about 10,000 years under every scenario of climate change, future costs of sea level rise would only increase, especially without adaptation measures. Durban

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5148-412: The area of KwaZulu-Natal until the expansion of agro-pastoralists and pastoralists from the north saw their gradual incorporation. Oral history has been passed down from generation to generation by the Zulu nation, who were inhabitants of the land before European colonisers, but there is no written history of the area until it was sighted by Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama , who sailed parallel to

5247-495: The average temperature is 17 °C (63 °F). A 2019 paper published in PLOS One estimated that under Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 , a "moderate" scenario of climate change where global warming reaches ~2.5–3 °C (4.5–5.4 °F) by 2100, the climate of Durban in the year 2050 would most closely resemble the current climate of Kigali . The annual temperature would increase by 1.7 °C (3.1 °F), and

5346-586: The city became part of the Durban UniCity in July 1996 as part of transitional arrangements and to eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in 1999, with the adoption of South Africa's new municipal governance system. In July 1996, Obed Mlaba was appointed mayor of Durban UniCity; in 1999 he was elected mayor of the eThekwini municipality and re-elected in 2006. Following the May 2011 local elections, James Nxumalo ,

5445-789: The city's treatment of street traders, street children and sex workers. The cannabis strain called "Durban Poison" is named for the city. There are a number of civil society organisations based in Durban. These include: Abahlali baseMjondolo movement, the Diakonia Council of Churches, the Right2Know Campaign , the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance and the South African Unemployed Peoples' Movement . Durban has been named

5544-421: The city. The population grew by an annual average of 2.34% between 1996 and 2001. This led to shanty towns forming around the city, which were often demolished. Between 2001 and 2011, the population growth slowed down to 1.08% per year and shanty towns have become less common as the government builds low-income housing. The population of the city of Durban and central suburbs such as Durban North, Durban South and

5643-487: The company runs an educational program and presents theatre to schools. The Playhouse has been a venue for staging the work of many famous South African playwrights, including Mbongeni Ngema , and in October 2023 there was a casting call for a new musical entitled From Gibson Kente to Mbongeni Ngema , to celebrate the works and influence of Gibson Kente and Ngema. Other significant cultural attractions include: Among

5742-516: The council. In 1983, the Constitution was reformed to allow the Coloured and Indian minorities a limited participation in separate and subordinate Houses of a Tricameral Parliament , a development which saw limited support and very low voter turnouts. The Indian house was called the House of Delegates . Some aspects of Indian life were regulated by this house, including education. The theory

5841-477: The east coast of South Africa, looking out upon the Indian Ocean . The city lies at the mouth of the Umgeni River , which demarcates parts of Durban's north city limit, while other sections of the river flow through the city itself. Durban has a natural harbour, Port of Durban , which is the busiest port in South Africa and the fourth-busiest in the Southern Hemisphere. The extent of urban sprawl

5940-472: The eastern coast of South Africa for centuries, including before the Dutch settlement of the Cape Colony in 1652. A significant proportion of slaves imported into the Cape were from parts of India (which included present-day Bangladesh), Indonesia and Sri Lanka. While South African scholars mistakenly assumed these slaves were bought in "slave markets", many of the slaves were victims of kidnapping. Many slaves had no identity as Indians and were subsumed into

6039-454: The end of Apartheid, Indian children largely attended segregated Indian government schools, which were administered nationally, and wrote separate matriculation examinations. These arrangements ended by 1997. Until 1991, state government schools taught in English, choosing one of five Indian languages, namely Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu to be taken as non-examination subjects. But,

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6138-535: The entire Quraan. Halls : Sanathan Hall, Islamic Cultural Centre, Umzinto Town Hall Radio Station : Life FM KZN Until halfway through the 1980s, Umzinto was the southern terminus of the Umzinto - Donnybrook narrow gauge railway and had transshipment facilities to a Cape gauge branch line to Kelso , along the railway to Johannesburg Nelson Mandela Road (P197-3) is the north–south main road connecting Umzinto with Esperanza and Amandawe that passes through

6237-998: The establishment of Islam in the areas where they settled. Indian traders were sometimes referred to as " Arab traders" because of their dress, and because large numbers of them were Muslim. Passenger Indians, who initially operated in Durban, expanded inland, to the South African Republic (Transvaal), establishing communities in settlements on the main road between Johannesburg and Durban. Natal's Indian traders rapidly displaced small white shop owners in trade with other Indians, and with black Africans, causing resentment among white businesses. Researchers have made efforts to collect and make available shipping lists of Indian immigrants. Indians faced discrimination to varying degrees in all parts of South Africa. Indians faced repressive legislation in Natal. They were forced to carry passes in 1888. In 1893, M. K. Gandhi arrived in South Africa to represent an Indian businessman in

6336-609: The evacuation of Durban, and eventually the Afrikaners accepted British annexation in 1844 under military pressure. When the Borough of Durban was proclaimed in 1854, the council had to procure a seal for official documents. The seal was produced in 1855 and was replaced in 1882. The new seal contained a coat of arms without helmet or mantling that combined the coats of arms of Sir Benjamin D'Urban and Sir Benjamin Pine. An application

6435-697: The first language of the majority. Because these children were separated by apartheid from white English-speakers, their English developed in very different ways from South African English . In recent decades, the dialect has come much closer to the standard language through the model taught in schools. The result is a variety of English which mixes features of Indian , South African , Standard British , and other influences. A diminishing minority of Indian South Africans, notably those in older generations, are fluent in their ancestral Indian languages such as Tamil , Gujarati , Marathi , Bengali , Odia , Bhojpuri , Malayalam , Urdu , Hindi , Telugu and others as

6534-468: The former speaker of the council, was elected as the new mayor. On 23 August 2016 Zandile Gumede was elected as the new mayor until 13 August 2019. On 5 September 2019 Mxolisi Kaunda was sworn in as the new mayor. The name of the Durban municipal government, prior to the post-apartheid reorganisations of municipalities, was the Durban Corporation or City of Durban . Durban is located on

6633-469: The greenest city in the world by Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index. There are many museums, art galleries, theatres, and other centres of culture in Durban. The African Art Centre is "the longest surviving organisation involved in the development and promotion of African artists and crafters", founded in 1960, and moving to a new home in Station Drive in 2017. Ethekwini Municipal Libraries

6732-411: The hills of the Berea on the west; and to the south, running along the coast, is the Bluff . Durban is the seat of the larger eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality , which spans an area of 2,556 km (987 sq mi) and had a population of 4.2   million in 2022 , making the metropolitan population one of Africa 's largest on the Indian Ocean. Within the city limits , Durban's population

6831-642: The host city. Durban is home to The Sharks rugby union club, also known as the Cell C Sharks, who compete in the domestic Currie Cup competition as well as in the international United Rugby Championship and Heineken Champions Cup competition. The Sharks' home ground is the 54,000 capacity HollywoodbetsKings Park Stadium , sometimes referred to as the Shark Tank. The Sharks are home to many South Africa national rugby union team players such as Bongi Mbonambi , Eben Etzebeth , Makazole Mapimpi , Lukhanyo Am and formerly to Thomas du Toit and 2019 Rugby World Cup captain Siya Kolisi . The city has two clubs in

6930-438: The idea. In general, the importation of labour was not viewed as politically important by colonists when it was proposed, and the importation of Indian labour was driven by lobbying by a relatively small group of sugar planters, and the long-term consequences of Indian immigration (the establishment of a permanent Indian population in Natal) were not taken into account (by 1904, Indians outnumbered whites in Natal). Although 1860

7029-413: The king by helping him recover from a stab wound that he had suffered as a result of an assassination attempt by one of his half-brothers. As a token of his gratitude King Shaka granted Fynn a "25- mile strip of coast a hundred miles in depth". On 7 August 1824, they concluded negotiations with King Shaka for a cession of land, including the Bay of Natal and land extending 16 km (10 mi) south of

7128-525: The languages were dropped from state-run schools. The national council for eastern languages has requested the government teach these five languages. The provincial government agreed to allow these languages to be taught in KwaZulu-Natal. These languages can be chosen as a third language up to the final year of school. English is the first language of most Indian South Africans. From the 1950s on, English came to be taught to Indian children in schools, leading to language shift taking place, with English becoming

7227-428: The late 1800s and early 1900s. The majority live in and around the city of Durban , making it one of the largest ethnically Indian-populated cities outside of India . As a consequence of the policies of apartheid , Indian (synonymous with Asian) is regarded as a race group in South Africa. During the colonial era, Indians were accorded the same subordinate status in South African society as Blacks were by

7326-818: The loss of identity similar to the Mozambicans and other slaves who were brought to the Cape. Indian slaves who were Muslim became part of the Cape Malay community after they were freed, initially adopting the Malay language , and then Afrikaans. An early Indian to settle in South Africa was Kalaga Prabhu, a Goud Saraswat Brahmin merchant from Cochin . He was the foremost among the Konkani merchants in Cochin (modern day Kochi in Kerala). As punishment for conspiring with

7425-647: The main sectors were finance, community services, manufacturing, trade, transport, and tourism. Durban was one of the host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup , for which the Moses Mabhida Stadium was built, and is UNESCO 's first City of Literature in Africa. Archaeological evidence from the Drakensberg mountains suggests that the Durban area has been inhabited by communities of hunter-gatherers since 100,000 BP . These people lived throughout

7524-411: The most intense period of segregation and apartheid, "Indian", "Coloured" and " Malay " group identities controlled numerous aspects of daily life, including where a classified person was permitted to live and study. The "Indian" racial identity was created by both internal political movements that sought to consolidate support amongst the different Indian ethnicities in the face of discrimination; and

7623-411: The most severely affected by future sea level rise . It estimates that they would collectively sustain cumulative damages of USD 65 billion under RCP 4.5 and USD 86.5 billion for the high-emission scenario RCP 8.5 by the year 2050. Additionally, RCP 8.5 combined with the hypothetical impact from marine ice sheet instability at high levels of warming would involve up to 137.5 billion USD in damages, while

7722-586: The museum. The Playhouse Theatre is located on Anton Lembede Street (formerly Smith Street). The original building on the site was a cinema built in 1896, which was rebuilt in 1935 in Tudor Revival style. The cinema reopened on 7 June 1935 and finally closed in the 1970s. After being taken over by the Performing Arts Council in the 1980s, the building was restored in 1985–6, and with the former Colosseum Theatre (or Prince's Theatre)

7821-589: The population since 1961, Indians are still sometimes viewed as a foreign presence in the country, and find themselves having to justify their belonging to South Africa as a homeland. The modern South African Indian community is largely descended from Indians who arrived in South Africa from 1860 onwards. The first 342 of these came on board the Truro from Madras , followed by the Belvedere from Calcutta . They were transported as indentured labourers to work on

7920-431: The purposes of Employment Equity ; that is, they are classified as having been disadvantaged under apartheid. They are thus eligible for "affirmative action" and Black Economic Empowerment allocations. Following the end of apartheid, a new wave of South Asian immigration commenced from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, paralleling the movement of Africans from the diaspora and neighbouring African countries to

8019-408: The roads are in a deplorable condition. In 1995, low cost housing was developed on the outskirts called Gandhi Nagar. Schools : Umzintovale Primary School, Umzinto Secondary School, Umzinto Islamic School, St Patrick's Primary School, Roseville Secondary School, St Annes Primary School Umzinto also houses a Darul-Uloom called Madrassa Da'watul Haq that has produced many graduates who have memorised

8118-489: The ruling African National Congress . Amichand Rajbansi 's Minority Front (formerly the National People's Party ) retained some support in its strongholds. However, after Rajbansi's death in 2011, the party failed to win any seats in the national assembly following the 2014 general election. Indians who were citizens before 1994, and thus discriminated against by the apartheid system, are considered black for

8217-399: The second largest radio station in the world. The SABC also operates Radio Lotus , which is aimed at South Africans of Indian origin. The other SABC national stations have smaller regional offices in Durban, as does TV for news links and sports broadcasts. A major English language radio station , East Coast Radio , operates out of Durban and is owned by SA media giant Kagiso Media. There are

8316-552: The settlement was established on the northern shores of the bay near today's Farewell Square. During a meeting of 35 European residents in Fynn's territory on 23 June 1835, it was decided to build a capital town and name it "D'Urban" after Sir Benjamin D'Urban , who was the governor of the Cape Colony at the time. The Voortrekkers established the Republic of Natalia in 1839, with its capital at Pietermaritzburg . Tension between

8415-469: The south among other suburbs. However, the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality is an amalgamation of Durban proper and more than 120 other nearby formerly independent towns and suburbs such as Amanzimtoti , Cato Ridge , Chatsworth , Hillcrest , KwaMashu , Inanda , oThongathi , Pinetown , Queensburgh , uMhlanga , Umlazi , Verulam and Westville among others that have organically merged yet still retain their legal boundaries. The name "Durban"

8514-567: The temperature of the coldest month by 1.8 °C (3.2 °F), while the temperature of the warmest month would be 0.5 °C (0.90 °F) lower. According to Climate Action Tracker , the current warming trajectory appears consistent with 2.7 °C (4.9 °F), which closely matches RCP 4.5. Moreover, according to the 2022 IPCC Sixth Assessment Report , Durban is one of 12 major African cities ( Abidjan , Alexandria , Algiers , Cape Town , Casablanca , Dakar , Dar es Salaam , Durban, Lagos , Lomé , Luanda and Maputo ) which would be

8613-510: The wider group classified as Coloureds . Indians were prohibited by an 1891 statute from living in the Orange Free State , then an independent Boer Republic , and this led to the almost total absence of Indians from the area, a situation that persisted into the apartheid era. Efforts to encourage Indians to repatriate to India included financial incentives, as well as discriminatory treatment. In December 1926, and January 1927,

8712-474: The worldwide Desi subculture, however, South African Indians developed a distinctive musical and literary culture of their own, which was to some extent eclipsed by the global Bollywood/Desi culture in the 1990s and 2000s. There is also an increasing amount of interest in Turkish popular culture, by Muslims in particular. The slang term charou (various spellings) is often used by Indians, particularly in

8811-609: The years of apartheid. Indians in South Africa were (and sometimes still are) referred to by the racial epithet ' coolie '. In 1968, the South African Indian Council (not to be confused with the anti-apartheid South African Indian Congress which had the same initials) was created by the government, and in 1974, the council was reconstituted to allow for 50% of its members to be elected by Indians. The Council did not enjoy much support, for example, in 1981, only 6% of eligible voters participated in elections for

8910-624: Was 595,061 in 2011 . The city has a humid subtropical climate , with hot, wet summers and mild, dry winters. Archaeological evidence from the Drakensberg mountains suggests that the area had been inhabited by hunter-gatherers millennia ago. Later, the Nguni people occupied the region. During Christmas 1497, Vasco da Gama saw the coast and named it Natal , the Portuguese word for Christmas. In 1824, English traders from Cape Colony , led by Francis Farewell and Henry Fynn , established

9009-460: Was allowed to take place. Former indentured labourers who didn't return to India quickly established themselves as an important general labour force in Natal particularly as industrial and railway workers, with others engaging in market gardening , growing most of the vegetables consumed by the white population. Indians also became fishermen , and worked as clerks; in the postal service; and as court interpreters. The remaining Indian immigration

9108-573: Was defeated, it was successfully reintroduced in 1896. The South African Republic government first instituted discriminatory legislation against Indians in 1885, which led to protests from the British government , as the Indians were British subjects, and was used as one of the casus belli for the Second Boer War . Indians were banned from working in the mining industry, and areas were set aside for coolie locations in various towns in

9207-433: Was found by colonial authorities that local black Africans were economically self-sufficient, and thus unwilling to subject themselves to employment by colonial farmers, while other colonial authorities believed that the "hunting and warrior" African culture of the time was incompatible with a sudden shift to employed labour. The Mercury newspaper favoured the importation of labour, although other Natal newspapers were against

9306-476: Was from passenger Indians , comprising traders and others who migrated to South Africa shortly after the indentured labourers, paid for their own fares and travelled as British subjects . These immigrant Indians who became traders were from varying religious backgrounds, namely Hindu and Muslims but largely from Gujarat (including Memons and Surtis ), later joined by Konkanis , and Urdu speakers from Uttar Pradesh . The Muslims played an important part in

9405-459: Was included in the 2011 census at 0.93%. The city's demographics indicate that 68% of the population is of working age, and 38% of the people in Durban are under the age of 19 years. Durban has the highest number of dollar millionaires added per year of any South African city, with the number having increased 200 percent between 2000 and 2014. Sugar refining is one of Durban's main industries. South Africa produces 19.9 million tons of sugar cane

9504-400: Was led by Chief Langalibalele . The crew became fluent in the tribe's language and witnessed their customs. The tribe told them that the land where the Abambo people lived was called Embo by the natives and that the people were very hospitable. On 28 October 1689, the galiot Noord travelled from Table Bay to the Bay of Natal to fetch the surviving crew of the Stavenisse and to negotiate

9603-538: Was made to register the coat of arms with the College of Arms in 1906, but this application was rejected on grounds that the design implied that D'Urban and Pine were husband and wife. Nevertheless, the coat of arms appeared on the council's stationery from about 1912. The following year, a helmet and mantling was added to the council's stationery and to the new city seal that was made in 1936. The motto reads "Debile principium melior fortuna sequitur"—"Better fortune follows

9702-428: Was named Um. On encountering a stream, the men decided to cross it, but Um did not notice the crocodile lurking beneath the surface. Subsequently, Um was attacked by the crocodile, and bitten in half. "Um's in two!" his friend exclaimed. The legend has been ascribed to Jonathan Swift but Swift died in 1745, decades before the British encountered the region. The first public company in Natal was established at Umzinto on

9801-545: Was that the Indian minority could be allowed limited rights, but the Black majority were to become citizens of independent homelands . These separate arrangements were removed by the negotiations which took place from 1990 on to provide all South Africans with the vote. Many Indians played an important role in the anti-apartheid struggle and some occupied positions of power in post-apartheid South Africa. In post-apartheid South Africa , Indians have maintained prominent positions in

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