Destination Guidebook for Durban, South Africa
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With less than three years to go before South Africa hosts the 2010 World Soccer Cup—a first for the country as well as the continent of Africa—Durban is busy doing what most people do before visitors arrive: cleaning up, renovating, building and doing whatever it takes to put on the best face possible.
At the Durban airport, a reconfiguration of the international and domestic terminals has been completed, and outside the terminals, there is a new covered parking deck. Construction of a new King Shaka airport is expected to begin soon, in an area north of Durban, and completion is scheduled for six months before the start of the World Soccer Cup.
In late 2006, the Suncoast Hotel and Towers opened on Durban's beachfront, and it is the first luxury hotel built there in 30 years. Construction is also under way for the new King Senzangakhona Stadium, which will host six first-round matches, one second-round and one semifinal match. Named for Shaka Zulu, the founder of the Zulu nation, the stadium will hold 70,000 fans, with space for 10,000 cars. The South African government is also spending millions to upgrade roads, stadiums and transportation networks, all in anticipation of the millions of soccer enthusiasts expected to converge on the city from around the world.
Most first-time visitors to South Africa fly in and out of Johannesburg, the City of Gold, and then travel on to Cape Town before leaving the country. The Cape is undeniably beautiful and cosmopolitan—locals describe it as "God's country," meaning if God chose to live on Earth, he'd settle there. But if you want a true African experience in South Africa, head for Durban, a balmy coastal metropolis in the heart of the legendary Zulu Kingdom.
eThekwini, Durban's Zulu name, means "the place of the bay." This city of more than 2 million people is less polished and earthier—some say grittier—than Cape Town. Yet it is the No. 1 travel destination of South Africans. The many beach towns stretching to the north and south of Durban are great places to relax. Plus, Durban is also close to two World Heritage-listed sites.
Characterized by wide beaches, excellent surfing and a harbor that is the largest and busiest port in Africa, the city is well worth at least a three-night visit. Plan to walk along the waterfront Golden Mile to see—among other amusements—uShaka Marine World. Or, take a trip out to sea with the Natal Sharks Board to watch crews service shark nets and, hopefully, get up-close and personal with dolphins. If these options don't suit you, there's hiking, sailing and scuba diving, or spend your time leisurely soaking up the sun. | Must See or Do | Top  |
Sights—The Golden Mile, which actually stretches 40 mi/64 km from the Umgeni River to the Point; rickshaw-pullers on the beachfront in their colorful attire; 60-100 surfers at the Bay of Plenty.
Museums—KwaMuhle Museum; the Campbell Collections.
Memorable Meals—Natal curry at the Ulundi restaurant in the Royal Hotel; Mozambique prawns or langoustines at the Famous Fish Company on Durban's harbor; bunny chow from any number of city takeaways.
Late Night—Afro-jazz at the BAT Centre; cocktails at Bean Bag Bohemia on Windermere Road in the Berea.
Walks—Strolling at sunrise along the Golden Mile; walking through the Durban Botanic Gardens; meandering among the dozens of vendors and crafts markets along Marine Parade on the beachfront.
Especially for Kids—uShaka Marine World; roller coasters, swings and bumper cars at FunWorld; the Wave House, Skate Park and "world's highest indoor climbing rock" at Gateway Theatre of Shopping; miniature golf, just south of the Umgeni River. Durban is situated on the southwestern seaboard of South Africa, bordered by the Indian Ocean on the east and by the Drakensberg mountains to its west, and to the south lies the Atlantic Ocean.
There are two main streets that lead to and from the Durban beachfront, which is the place that holds the most interest for visitors. West Street runs to the beachfront and Smith Street leads away. Residential neighborhoods ring the city center, and the Berea, in particular, is one that appeals to many tourists. The Berea is the range of hills on the inland side of Durban. It's home to artists and craftspeople. Considerable archaeological evidence suggests that the Durban area was extensively occupied during the first millennium AD. White settlement on Durban's harbor began in the early 1820s when a band of traders, led by Lt. Francis Farewell and James King, made their way by ship from the Cape. Durban was part of the empire of the Zulu King Shaka, who had used his exceptional military talents and diplomacy to weld disparate clans and tribes into a nation in the early 19th century.
In 1824, the white settlers secured a land grant from Shaka and named the harbor settlement Port Natal. The tiny trading settlement grew as more people arrived from the Cape, and in 1835, it was renamed after Sir Benjamin D'Urban, then governor of the Cape Colony. The settlers believed they owned the land granted to them by Shaka. However, Shaka considered them governors of his territory. Land disputes in South Africa are just as contentious today.
Around this same time period, a large group of Boers (South Africans of Dutch and French Huguenot extraction) was breaking away from British rule in the Cape. In 1837, they crossed the Drakensberg mountains in their wagons in search of fertile land. Shaka's successor, Dingane, first attempted to accommodate the trekkers, but then tried to annihilate them.
In 1843, the British annexed Natal, and 1849 marked the start of large-scale immigration from Britain to Natal. The next group to arrive in Durban was composed of indentured Indians from India. They were shipped there to cut cane on sugar plantations, because the British hadn't yet found ways to coerce the Zulus, traditionally cattle herders, into working for them. The Indians arrived in 1860 on the Truro and Belvedere, and a headline in the local white press announced that "the coolies" had arrived.
As time passed, the plight of blacks—African, Indian and coloured (mixed-race people)—grew worse. A 1922 clause in a municipal ordinance restricted the sale of land owned by the city council to whites only. (Nevertheless, the 1940s' wartime economic boom years brought thousands of Africans into the city, despite the myriad hardships they endeavored to call Durban home.) By 1958, the screws of injustice tightened even more when the city council put its Group Areas plan into operation. According to this plan, whites would gain nearly 3,000 acres/1,214 hectares of prime city land from Indians—uprooting more than 75,000 Indians and some 8,000 coloureds. Also by the late 1950s, pass laws and labor legislation became stricter and more severely applied. From then onward many thousands of Africans became subject to daily harassment, arrest, eviction from the city and jail.
In the 1970s and '80s, Durban experienced strikes, violent protests and massive damage to property, as the black majority sought to break the back of the strict system of segregation known as apartheid. The conflicts marked a new period in politicization within Durban's townships and also between the aligned forces of the African National Congress (ANC) and the Inkatha Freedom Party, the party of the Zulu people, who sought a federalist system of government.
In 1990, the first mass rally officially organized by the ANC since it had been banned in 1960 took place in Durban, foreshadowing an end to apartheid. Nelson Mandela addressed the crowd. Then in 1994, South Africa held its first all-race democratic elections and elected Mandela as president. He cast his vote in a settlement just outside Durban, near the grave of the first president of the ANC.
A decade after that first democratic election, Durban continues to forge ahead in its efforts to reconcile the past with the present.
Shaka, the founder and king of the Zulu nation, was named after an intestinal beetle. Shaka's father, the Zulu chief Senzangakhona, was reluctant to acknowledge that Nandi, Shaka's mother, was pregnant. Instead, he blamed her swelling on the beetle, iShaka.
In 1889, at the age of 16, Malukmohammed Lappa Sultan arrived in Durban from India to work for the Natal Government Railways as an indentured laborer. Once his indenture was over, he became a successful businessman and prominent philanthropist in the Indian community. The M.L. Sultan Technical College in Durban is named for him, as well as nine primary schools and three secondary schools.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, later called Mahatma, the "great soul," came to Durban in 1893 from England. His arrival marked the beginning of a 21-year relationship with South African Indians that eventually led to the liberation of India and a philosophy of passive resistance that shaped the lives of millions.
A favorite Durban expression is "Howzit?," which means "How are you?" Other words you might find useful during your stay include sawbona (hello), sala kahle (stay well), hamba kahle (go well), siyabonga (thank you) and yebo, which is a catch-all term that, depending on the context, can mean "yes," or "what's up?," or someone may say it simply to acknowledge your presence, sort of like when you pass a stranger and give a nod.
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