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A beautiful coastal city in eastern South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal Province

Poised on the edge of Africa, Durban is a vibrant blend of the rustic simplicity of Africa, and the modern sophistication of an international business centre. Durban is a complex and challenging urban environment, monitored by a dedicated team of environmental officials, activists and industrial environmental managers. Despite serious problems in the past, which included international isolation and sanctions, inadequate and unequal fiscal distributions, the region has displayed substantially faster potential to grow than national averages. Demographic statistics of KwaZulu-Natal, as well as comparitive figures for tourism, indicating Durban's popularity as a holiday destination.

Poised on the edge of Africa, between the rolling waves of the Indian Ocean and the rugged Drakensberg Mountain Range, lies the City of Durban. A city which merges with perfect harmony, the rustic simplicity of Africa, and the modern sophistication of an international business centre.

Durban is a melting-pot of cultural diversity, with its African, Asian and European influences creating a rich cosmopolitan society. These influences have led to a myriad of different architectural and artistic styles that can be seen throughout the City. From the beautiful Colonial City Hall to the various ethnic markets that can be found in and around Durban. Even the restaurants in Durban, of which there are many, reflect the different tastes and flavours of this diverse metropolis.

Within The Durban Metropolitan Area You Will Find:

A modern Convention Bureau, with an extensive data bank containing detailed information on venues – ranging from five star hotels to country lodges and game parks. The Bureau also assists with accommodation, guest speakers and support services.

A subtropical climate of hot summers and warm winters makes Durban enjoyable all year round. Durban offers a diverse range of venues, with over 19 000 cinema style seats. An International Convention Centre, with a capacity of 5 000 seats, and the adjoining Durban Conference & Exhibition Centre, that can seat up to 2 500 people.

A large selection of accommodation venues, ranging from five star hotels, to self-catering apartments, guest houses and game lodges. A captivating beachfront, paved with walkways and studded with sparkling pools and green lawns.

The busiest harbour in Africa, home to several international yacht club, with moorings for ocean liners, including the Queen Elizabeth II. Durban is a shopper’s paradise with facilities ranging from large shopping centres with major chain stores, to small arcades and markets teeming with bargains and curios.

A tremendous range of multi-cuisine restaurants to suit all pockets and tastes. After hours relaxation with a host of theatres, clubs and cinemas. KwaZulu-Natal is a world in one Province, with game reserves containing the famous "Big Five" of African Game and pristine beaches in the north. The majestic Drakensberg Mountains and genteel Midlands in the West, and superb golf courses and fishing spots in the South.

Durban has a complex and challenging environment. The City is flanked by the Umgeni River in the north and the Durban harbour to the south.

Durban has risen to its environmental challenge with a dedicated team of environmental officials, activists and industrial environmental managers. It is one of the few cities in Africa that has been active in implementing the requirements of Local Agenda 21 as set down by the Rio Summit on the Environment. In addition, the visionary Durban Metropolitan Open Space System (D'MOSS) has retained natural eco-systems of parks and open areas throughout the city.

Durban has two large oil refineries and chemical sites close to the city centre. The topography of the surrounding areas mean that air quality is of great concern, particularly during the winter months.

A modelling exercise has been launched by industry with the express aim of monitoring air pollution in Durban to make informed decisions on air quality management. The intention is to develop an expert system that would allow industry to switch fuels and control processes at times when air quality is likely to be poor. The model is dynamic and takes real time inputs from ambient monitors, meteorological data and two sources of pollution at present.

The process has been difficult and it has attracted the attention of President Mandela but it is clear to all parties that a workable solution will be found. Durban is serious about development in an environmentally sustainable manner. As a leading city, it will be a leader in the development and implementation of visionary environmental policy.

Despite serious problems in the past, which included international isolation and sanctions, inadequate and unequal fiscal distributions, and unemployment, the region has displayed substantially faster potential to grow than national averages. Political progress, coupled with the major expected injection of government funding, now promises more rapid growth.

Local Councils are represented on the Metropolitan Council. The Metro Council deals with issues that concern the entire DMA and which have an impact across Local Council boundaries. Different responsibilities are allocated to the Metro Council and the Local Councils through national and provincial legislation as well as through local agreements. The roles of the Metro Council and the Local Councils are seen as complimentary.

The boundary of the DMA stretches from the Umkomaas River in the south to the Tongaat River in the north and as far as Cato Ridge in the west. The DMA is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the east. The total area of the DMA is 1366 square kilometers. The population is over 2,3 million. A number of rivers pass through the undulating topography of the area on their way to the coast. At the heart of the DMA is Durban Bay which hosts the continent’s busiest port.

It is important to note that a major characteristic of the DMA is its diversity. While most of the economic activity occurs in the Durban City area, different types of activities are dispersed throughout the region. For example, agriculture (and especially sugar cane) is important in the North, while chemical production is key in the South.

The DMA plays a vital role in the KZN economy: 54,6% of economic output and 50,6% of employment occurs in the DMA. However, there is an uneven distribution of economic activity within the DMA with an estimated 80% being located in the old Durban magisterial area. Of the remainder and estimated 12,4% is located in Pinetown/New Germany. It is expected that more recent figures would show a trend of faster growth in the Inner West and North Central substructure areas than has been the case in the past. Unemployment is most pronounced in peri-urban and informal settlement areas of the DMA with figures well over 10% being recorded.

At present the local economy is in the midst of a restructuring process aimed at enabling South African firms to compete on open world markets. This has the potential to open up new opportunities, but could also see a number of sectors contributing significantly less to the local economy. Formal employment in 1990 stood at 471 000 with informal sector employment estimated to be 270 000. The fact that the potential labour force in 1990 was 918 000 points to the severe unemployment problem in the area. This has been aggravated by declining levels of formal employment in the last decade.

With the formal sector, manufacturing’s contribution to GGP is the most significant although it has declined relative to expanding commercial activities which were significantly influenced by the early 1980’s tourist boom in Durban. At present the commercial and service sectors are the largest employers in the DMA.

Over and above manufacturing and commerce, the local transport infrastructure, and in particular the port, contributes significantly to local economic activity (5% of DMA employment is in activities directly related to the port). In fact it could safely be said that much of Durban’s reason for existence has to do with the development of the continent’s busiest port. The manner in which the Durban CBD and surrounding areas have developed reflect the functional and physical centrality of the port.

Many of the economic activities which dominate in the region, located in the area due to the development of the port. It is therefore crucial that the Bay as a whole is included at the heart of economic development strategies for the region and that the Metro’s position as entry point to the coast and inland economic corridors is exploited through the development of effective transport connections which reflect a level of integration between the port, the airport, roads and rail transport.

Theatre, Venues and Outdoors - Durban Experience

Durban’s largest theatre complex is the Natal Playhouse which houses seven performance venues which present a year-round variety of entertainment ranging from plays, revues, ballet, puppet theatre, experimental theatre, musicals, operas and orchestra. The venues are: The Sanlam Loft, The Drama, The Opera, The Studio, The Grand Foyer and the Cellar Supper Theatre. The largest of these is The Opera which is home to annual festive season pantomimes and musicals.

There are two theatres on the Natal University campus - the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre which seats 384 and was named after Professor Elizabeth Sneddon, the University’s most celebrated and active drama professor. The second theatre on campus is the Pieter Scholtz Open Air Theatre which is situated at the bottom of Jubilee Lane. This open air theatre can seat 500 and is named after Pieter Scholtz a prolific writer of children’s plays.

Durban’s Botanic Gardens is coming into its own as a performance venue for open air theatre and hosts the Natal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Music in the Park programme. Chris de Burgh had 2 sell out performances here. With Durban’s balmy climate, the Gardens are ideal for patrons to bring a blanket and a picnic and enjoy being entertained in the beautifully maintained grounds of the Gardens.

In Umhlanga Rocks, north of Durban, is the Limelight Theatre, a vibrant new theatre and entertainment complex offering a Supper Theatre, Piano Bar and Stagedoor Bar. It’s a place to have a drink, listen to some music, laugh at some comedy or enjoy a hearty meal and supper theatre. The brainchild of theatre personalities Themi Venturas, Vanessa Skaer and businessmen Russell Chamber and Paul Kirkpatrick, the Limelight Theatre focuses on providing a variety of entertainment at affordable prices.

Other performance venues include The Courtyard Theatre at Technikon Natal’s Berea campus which hosts student as well as commercial productions, the BAT Centre which includes a 350 seater hall, Funky’s music entertainment bar, and the Blue Chip verandah. The Supper Stage in Umhlanga Rocks Drive generally offers caberet/revues along with a tasty meal.

Scottish comedian Billy Connolly had plenty to say about the Village Green as a venue referring to the tent-size and boggling at the size of camping gear one might need. It is the largest undercover performance venue in Durban and has seen a multitude of international acts including Sting, Randy Crawford, Jethro Tull, Bryan Adams and the London Philharmonic to name a few. It accommodates 38 000 people seated and double that standing.

An important component of Durban theatre is the role of the smaller theatre companies and the very active theatre-in-education networks who specialise in youth and educational programmes. The activity and energy of these unsubsidised, hard working repertory companies contribute widely to the variety and standard of theatre in and around Durban. Some of the groups stage top quality professional theatre - notably Garth Anderson’s Actor’s Co-Operative, Nik Rujevic’s Bogart Productions, Patrick Kenny’s Upstage Productions and Andrew Donald’s Handzon Theatre Company (HOT). The Stable Theatre in Alice Street - a disused city council electricity station - is a theatre workshop venue and houses many of these smaller community-based performing arts groups.

The Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre is situated at the University of Natal and among many other productions, is also the venue for the annual Durban Film Festival. Student productions and children's theatre takes place at the Open Air Theatre and occasional productions are held in the Howard College Theatre.

Various professional and student productions take place at the Asoka Theatre at the University of Durban-Westville.

Birdlife

Durban is richly endowed with tropical flora which attract a large variety of birds.

The Amanzimtoti Bird Sanctuary is open daily from 6.00am to 6.00pm and entrance is free. A tea garden overlooks a lake where a variety of waterbirds may not only be viewed, but will happily take food out of your hand!

The Umgeni River Bird Park has a spectacular collection of over 3000 exotic and indigenous birds. The sheer 30 metre high cliff-faces form a magnificent backdrop to the four hectare site. The largest of the four waterfalls, which plummet off the cliff, is 20 metres high and cascades into a pool next to a large thatched rondavel where home-made teas and light lunches are served. Beautiful palms, cycads and other tropical plants, as well as numerous ponds for waterfowl and flamingos , give the park an air of tranquillity and relaxation. Hundreds of exotic birds have been imported from the Far East, South America and Europe to provide a visual delight for nature-lovers.

Drakensberg

The mighty Drakensberg mountain range with peaks reaching upwards of 3000 metres forms the north western border of KwaZulu-Natal. The magnificent outline of cliffs and peaks of this 1600 kilometre range inspired the Zulus to describe the escarpment as "The Barrier of Spears". To Voortrekker pioneers they became known as the "Dragon Mountains" inspiring myths of fire-breathing monsters high up in the impenetrable crags, creating a mystique now so much part of the Drakensberg legend.

Whether bedecked in the hues of summer, or peacefully adorned under winter's snowy blanket this rugged landscape is the perfect setting for the restoration of body and soul amidst nature's superb grandeur.

A variety of wildlife can be seen in this area including antelope, predators, small mammals and reptiles. The whole area is a bird sanctuary inhabited by an abundance of diverse birdlife, including sugar birds, kingfishers, storks and eagles - and the endangered lammergeyer. Plantlife varies widely with altitude - proteas flourish on the slopes while cycads, ferns and yellowwoods are found in the sheltered gorges.

The highest concentration of hiking trails and walks in South Africa can be found here. Many of these trails lead to sites which were once inhabited by the Bushmen (the San people) hundreds of years ago. They have left a legacy of the richest rock art that can be seen. These sensitive depictions of daily life and religious beliefs bear testimony to the harmony that these long-departed tribes enjoyed with nature.

The trails wind along mountain slopes, past crystal clear pools, up rope ladders and crevices to overnight resting places in huts and caves.

Accommodation ranges from sophisticated top-class hotels and traditional "inns" to economical self-catering establishments and caravan parks.

There is an almost limitless choice of activities - for both the energetic and the more sedate.

The precipices and pinnacles are a challenge for the hardy, but one need not be a mountaineer to delight in the awe-inspiring views from a summit or a ridge or to enjoy a stroll through a fern forest. Horseriding enthusiasts may appreciate the beauty of the countryside from the saddle and then cool off with a refreshing swim in a clear stream. Excellent sporting and other outdoor facilities are available at most of the mountain resorts including golf, tennis, bowling, fishing for carp, bass or trout, sailing, powerboating or water-skiing.

A scenic drive up Oliviershoek Pass to the car park beneath the Sentinel or to the top of Mike's Pass in the Cathedral area are both highly recommended. Also worth visiting are the area's numerous historical battlefields, and monuments where one may absorb some local history. A visit to the impressive Drakensberg Pumped Water System is very worthwhile.

Spring drifts into summer during November and autumn gives way to winter in May. The summers are warm to hot during the day with regular thunderstorms in the late afternnon. The nights are cool. In the winter the days are mild and the evenings are cool. The odd cold front sends temperatures plummeting and occasionally brings snowfalls to the mountain region.

Natal Parks Board

The Natal Parks Board is a statutory body entrusted with the conservation and protection of the indigenous plant and animal life in over 60 protected areas in Natal. A wide range of accommodation and facilities catering for the needs of visitors are provided to enable people to enjoy these protected areas.

Whether you wish to climb a mountain, dive a coral reef or simply immerse yourself in an ambience of the wild, the Natal Parks Board has a park for you. As a visitor to these parks you will make an important contribution to their conservation as revenue earned from tourism is used for conservation management.

Parks & Gardens

Durban has more than 50 reserves, developed parks and specialised gardens. They are maintained by the City's Parks Department which has 4 500 hectares of parkland and undeveloped open space under its control. The most renowned garden in the city is the Botanic Gardens, a rich 20 ha botancial and park haven at the foot of the Berea, and minutes from the city centre.

The foundation of the Durban Parks Department's success is its horticultural and supporting staff. The skills shown in the production of indoor and outdoor floral displays have, over many years become an outstanding feature of the city's image. From major indoor exhibitions to carpet bedding displays and bright park flower bedding schemes.

Parks with varying ornamental and floral diplays and special recreation features can be found throughout the city suburbs.