| 75th | Top climbing areas |
| 65th | Top etymologies of country subdivision names |
| KwaZulu-Natal | |
|---|---|
| — Province of South Africa — | |
| The Province of KwaZulu-Natal | |
| Motto: Masisukume sakhe (Let us rise and build) | |
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| Country |  South Africa |
| Natalia Republic | 12 October 1839 |
| Colony of Natal | 4 May 1843 |
| Natal Province | 31 May 1910 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 27 April 1994 |
| Capital | Pietermaritzburg |
| Districts | |
| Government | |
| - Type | Parliamentary system |
| - Premier | Zweli Mkhize (ANC) |
| Area [1] | |
| - Total | 92,100 km2 (35,560 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 7th in South Africa |
| Highest elevation | 3,451 m (11,322 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2007)[2] | |
| - Total | 10,259,230 |
| - Density | 111.4/km2 (288.5/sq mi) |
| Population rank | 2nd in South Africa |
| Population density rank | 2nd in South Africa |
| Population groups [3] | |
| - Black African | 86.0% |
| - Indian or Asian | 8.1% |
| - White | 4.4% |
| - Coloured | 1.4% |
| Languages [4] | |
| - Zulu | 80.0% |
| - English | 13.4% |
| - Xhosa | 3.5% |
| - Afrikaans | 1.5% |
| Time zone | SAST (UTC+2) |
| ISO 3166 code | ZA-ZN |
| Website | www.kwazulunatal.gov.za |
KwaZulu-Natal (pronounced /kwɑːˌzuːluː nəˈtɑːl/, also referred to as KZN or Natal) is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994 the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and all pieces of territory that made up the homeland of KwaZulu.
In the 1830s the northern part was the Zulu Kingdom and southern part was briefly a Boer republic called Natalia (from 1839 until 1843). In the 1843 the latter became the British Colony of Natal, though Zululand (KwaZulu in Zulu) remained independent until 1879. It is called the garden province and is the home of the Zulu nation. Located in the southeast of the country, it borders three other provinces and the countries of Mozambique, Swaziland, and Lesotho, along with a long shoreline on the Indian Ocean. Its capital is Pietermaritzburg and its largest city is Durban.
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The province has three different geographic areas. The lowland region along the Indian Ocean coast is extremely narrow in the south, widening in the northern part of the province. The central region is the Natal Midlands and is an undulating hilly plateau rising towards the west. Two mountainous areas, the Drakensberg Mountains in the west and the Lebombo Mountains in the north. The Drakensberg is a solid wall of basalt rising over 3,000 m (9,800 ft) skyward near the Lesotho border, whilst the Lebombo Mountains are ancient granite mountains forming low parallel ranges running southward from Swaziland. The Tugela River flows west to east across the center of the province and is the region's largest river.
The coastal regions typically have subtropical thickets and deeper ravines and steep slopes hosts some true Afromontane Forest. The midlands have moist grasslands and isolated pockets of Afromontane Forest. The north has a primarily moist savanna habitat, whilst the Drakensberg region hosts mostly alpine grassland.
The former Eastern Cape enclave of the town of Umzimkulu and its hinterland have been incorporated into KwaZulu-Natal following the 12th amendment of the Constitution of South Africa. The amendment also made other changes to the southern border of the province.
KwaZulu-Natal has a varied yet verdant climate thanks to diverse, complex topography. Generally, the coast is subtropical with inland regions becoming progressively colder. Durban on the south coast has an annual rainfall of 1009 mm, with daytime maxima peaking from January to March at 28 °C (82 °F) with a minimum of 21 °C (70 °F), dropping to daytime highs from June to August of 23 °C (73 °F) with a minimum of 11 °C (52 °F). Temperature drops towards the hinterland, with Pietermaritzburg being similar in the summer, but much cooler in the winter. Ladysmith in the Tugela River Valley reaches 30 °C (86 °F) in the summer, but may drop below freezing point on winter evenings. The Drakensberg can experience heavy winter snow, with light snow occasionally experienced on the highest peaks in summer. The Zululand north coast has the warmest climate and highest humidity with many sugar cane farms around Pongola.
KwaZulu-Natal borders the following areas of Mozambique, Swaziland, and Lesotho:
Domestically, it borders the following provinces:
KwaZulu-Natal is divided into eleven districts. One of these, eThekwini (Durban and surrounding area), is a metropolitan municipality and the other ten are district municipalities. The local seat of each district municipality is given in parentheses.
| <1 /km² 1–3 /km² 3–10 /km² 10–30 /km² 30–100 /km² | 100–300 /km² 300–1000 /km² 1000–3000 /km² >3000 /km² |
The coastline is dotted with small towns, many of which serve as seasonal recreational hubs. The climate of the coastal areas is humid and subtropical, comparable to southern Florida in the United States, but not quite as hot and rainy in the summer. As one moves further north up the coast towards the border of Mozambique, the climate becomes almost purely tropical. North of Durban is locally referred to as "The North Coast", while south is "The South Coast". The Kwazulu-Natal Tourist board includes towns like Margate, Port Shepstone, Scottburgh and Port Edward in its definition of what constitutes the South Coast, while Ballito, Umhlanga and Salt Rock are quintessentially North Coast resort towns.
Superb beaches of world-class quality are to be found along virtually every part of South Africa's eastern seaboard, with some of the least developed gems found in the far southern and far northern ends of the province's extents. The beach at Marina Beach (and its adjoining resort San Lameer) was recognized in 2002 as a Blue Flag beach.
An extraordinary natural phenomenon that is witnessed annually on the KwaZulu-Natal coast during late autumn or early winter is the "sardine run". Also referred to as "the greatest shoal on earth", the sardine run occurs when millions of sardines migrate from their spawning grounds south of the southern tip of Africa northwards along the Eastern Cape coastline towards KwaZulu-Natal following a path close inshore, often resulting in many fish washing up on beaches along the coast. The huge shoal of tiny fish can stretch for many kilometres and is followed and preyed upon by thousands of predators, including game fish, sharks, dolphins and seabirds. Usually the shoals break up and the fish disappear into deeper water around Durban. Many questions surrounding this exceptional event remain unanswered.
The interior of the province consists largely of rolling hills from the Valley of a Thousand Hills to the Midlands. These have been the subject of literature. Alan Paton, in the novel Cry, the Beloved Country, wrote:
There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it. The road climbs seven miles (11 km) into them, to Carisbrooke; and from there, if there is no mist, you look down on one of the fairest valleys of Africa. About you there is grass and bracken and you may hear the forlorn crying of the titihoya, one of the birds of the veld. Below you is the valley of the Umzimkulu, on its journey from the Drakensberg to the sea; and beyond and behind the river, great hill after great hill; and beyond and behind them, the mountains of Ingeli and East Griqualand.
Vasco da Gama of Portugal saw the coast of Natal on Christmas Day 1497. Christmas in Portuguese is 'Natal', which gave rise to the original name for the region. Its territory was once part of a short-lived Boer republic between 1839 and its annexation by Britain in 1843.
When the homeland of KwaZulu, which means "Place of the Zulu" was re-incorporated into the Natal province after the end of Apartheid in 1994, the province of Natal which had existed between 1910 and 1994 was renamed KwaZulu-Natal. The province is home to the Zulu monarchy, and the majority population and language of the province is Zulu. It is also the only province in South Africa which includes the name of its dominant ethnic group in its name.
The supporters, the lion and the wildebeest, are symbols of the regions that were joined to create KwaZulu-Natal, KwaZulu and Natal Province respectively.[5] The zig-zag stripe is representative of the Drakensberg mountains.[5] The star represents the coastline being given the name "Natalia" by Vasco da Gama on Christmas day, 1497, as well as the Zulu myth that the Zulu people are "people of heaven" or "star people".[5] The strelitzia flower on the shield is a symbol of the province's beauty.[5] The assegai and knobkierrie behind the shield represent peace and protection.[5] The crown base is a headring worn by Zulu elders, representing wisdom and maturity. The crown itself is a round grass hut built in the Zulu style. The motto is "Masisukume Sakhe", isiZulu for "Let Us Stand Up and Build".[5]
The KwaZulu-Natal's provincial government sits in the legislative buildings in Pietermaritzburg. The site where the legislative buildings are situated was occupied by St Mary's Church, which was built in the 1860s. A new church was built at the corner of Burger Street and Commercial Road, and opened in 1884. The old building was demolished in 1887 to provide space for the legislative complex. The foundation stone of the new legislative building was laid on 21 June 1887, to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. The building was completed two years later. On 25 April 1889, the Governor of Natal, Sir Arthur Havelock, opened the first Legislative Council session in the new building.
When governance was granted to Natal in 1893, the new Legislative Assembly took over the chamber that was used by the Legislative Council since 1889. Further extensions to the parliamentary building were made. The building was unoccupied until 1902 when it was used without being officially opened, due to the fact that the country was engulfed in the Anglo-Boer war. The war also affected the Legislative Assembly, which had to move the venue of its sittings when the chamber was used as a military hospital.
The Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council buildings, both national monuments, formed a colonial Parliament of two houses: a Council of 11 nominated members and an Assembly of 37 elected members. The Natal Parliament was disbanded in 1910 when the Union of South Africa was formed, and the Assembly became the meeting place of the Natal Provincial Council. The Council was disbanded in 1986.
The Provincial Legislature consists of 80 Members.
The African National Congress (ANC) hold power in the provincial legislature, winning the province with a convincing overall majority in South Africa's 2009 elections. Their chief opponents were the Inkatha Freedom Party, allied with the Democratic Alliance.
Breakup of the 80-seat legislature from the 2009 elections:
KwaZulu-Natal, as the name may suggest, is also the home to the Zulu monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu. Although not holding any direct political power, the Zulu king is provided a stipend by the government, and holds considerable sway over more traditionalist Zulu people in the province.
To date the Zulu king has six wives, traditionally each year a ceremony is performed in which the king receives another wife. The current King has kept this ceremony, called the "Reed Dance" but not chosen a wife, instead using the ceremony to promote abstinence until marriage as a way of preserving Zulu culture and preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Durban is a rapidly growing urban area and is by most measures the busiest port in Africa. A good rail network links the city to other areas of Southern Africa. Sugar refining is Durban's main industry. Sheep, cattle, dairy, citrus fruits, corn, sorghum, cotton, bananas, and pineapples are also raised. There is an embryonic KwaZulu-Natal wine industry. Other industries (located mainly in and around Durban) include textile, clothing, chemicals, rubber, fertilizer, paper, vehicle assembly and food-processing plants, tanneries, and oil refineries. There are large aluminum-smelting plants at Richards Bay, on the north coast.
To the north, Newcastle is the province's industrial powerhouse, with Mittal Steel South Africa (previously ISPAT/ISCOR) and the Karbochem synthetic rubber plant dominating the Newcastle industrial portfolio. In 2002, Newcastle became the largest producer of chrome chemicals in Africa with the completion of a chrome chemical plant, a joint venture project between Karbochem and German manufacturing giant Bayer. Other large operations include a diamond cutting works, various heavy engineering concerns, the Natal Portland Cement (NPC) slagment cement factory, and the Ingagane Power Station—recomissioned as Africa's first gas-fired power station by Independent Power Southern Africa (IPSA)—which feeds the Karbochem Plant with electricity. The textile industry is a major employer in the Newcastle area, with over a hundred textile factories belonging to Taiwanese and Chinese industrialists. Maize, livestock and dairy farmers operate on the outskirts of the city. Coal is also mined in the Newcastle area. The province as a whole produces considerable amounts of coal (especially coke) and timber.
About 86% of the population is black. During apartheid, a large percentage were forced to live in Bantu homelands (Bantustans), which had a subsistence economy based on cattle raising and corn growing.
Wildlife and tourism are increasingly important to the economy of KwaZulu-Natal. Tourists pay up to $10,000 for safaris on which they might see lions, elephants and giraffes.
One of the most urgent crises facing the province is the unparalleled prevalence of the HIV virus among its citizens. South Africa as a whole has more HIV-positive citizens than any other nation,[6] and among South Africa's provinces, KwaZulu-Natal has the highest rate of HIV infection — 39 percent, according to UNAIDS in 2009.[7]
Without proper nutrition, health care and medicine that is available in developed countries, large numbers of people suffer and die from AIDS-related complications. In some heavily infected areas, the epidemic has left behind many orphans cared for by elderly grandparents. HIV/AIDS also severely retards economic growth by destroying human capital.[8]
As of the 2001 census, 22.9% of KwaZulu-Natal's population 20 years or older had received no education; only 4.8% had received some form of higher education.
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KwaZulu-Natal (Zulu Kingdom), [1], is a province in the east of South Africa, bordering Mozambique in the north and the Eastern Cape in the south.
The Elephant Coast is the brand name for the Umkhanyakude district Municipality which consists of 5 local municipalities and a District Management area.
Bushmen hunters were among the earliest people to explore the region, which offered them plenty of caves and rock shelters, clear waters, abundant firewood, and good hunting.
The bushmen were ejected by the Iron-Age Bantu who migrated down from central Africa in the early 1600s. They called themselves the Nguni after their leader, and they were followed by an even larger number of people speaking their same Nguni language. They decided the region was much to their liking. Worth fighting over, in fact, which their clans did with great energy. The Zulu clan under Shaka Zulu welded other Nguni clans together into what became the most impressive military force ever seen in Africa’s history to that time.
Generally, the people enjoyed a good life and were wealthy in terms of the cattle they owned.
Europeans arrived in two ways. The Afrikaners trekked from the Cape and entered the region from the west. The English arrived at Port Natal (Durban) in the east. At first, there was little tension between black and white. But the Africans had no reason to work for the newcomers, so when sugar became important in the second half of the 1800s, the English imported labour from India. The Indian population grew quickly and by the 1890s outnumbered the whites in Natal.
The English soon soured relations between black and white by insisting the Zulus should give up their traditional military system. War followed in 1879, and after scoring a massive victory at Isandlwana, the Zulus soon lost too many men - at least 4000 - and too much heart to continue.
Twenty years later and war flared up again, this time between Afrikaner and British, and again the British suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of smaller and poorly trained forces, especially in Natal. The war dragged on for more than two years before the Afrikaners sued for peace. They ultimately had their revenge, however, by winning political mastery of the entire country, which was in their grips from 1948 through 1994, when the African National Congress under Nelson Mandela came to power.
Today it is fair to say that the Natal African is at the bottom of the Province’s economy and poorer than ever, apart from those few who have become enriched by the current political dispensation. The Indian community in KwaZulu-Natal, although victimized by apartheid, includes many of the wealthiest people in the country and still outnumbers the whites. As far as race relations are concerned, strong feelings simmer beneath the surface, especially between African and Indian. Indeed, contemporary Black musician Mbongeni Ngema wrote and recorded a song, AmaNdiya (the Indians), that was ultimately judged to be hate speech.
KwaZulu-Natal languages include English, Afrikaans, and isiZulu. In KwaZulu-Natal, English is mangled least by the English, more by the Indian, even more by the Africans and worst of all by the Afrikaners. You’ll find the Wikipedia page on South African English well worth reading.
Most visitors to KwaZulu-Natal begin or end their journey at Durban.
The only important airport of KwaZulu-Natal is in Durban. It is the province`s largest airport and offers domestic and international flights (only to Mauritius and Swaziland).
If you’re flying in to Durban, book your rented car beforehand. If you’re arriving on a late flight, book Avis and ask them to keep their kiosk open until you arrive. They are happy to comply.
The N2 connects KwaZulu-Natal with Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Eastern Cape and Western Cape. If you are driving from the Kruger National Park to Durban, the N2 between Piet Retief and Pongola is often badly pot-holed. You might do better to travel by way of Middelburg, Ermelo, Volksrust, Ladysmith, and Pietermaritzburg.
If you are driving to Durban from the Cape, the stretch through the Eastern Cape from East London onwards is hardly worth the bother and can be unsafe in and around Umtata. Better to drop off your rental at Port Elizabeth, fly to Durban, and rent again.
The N3 connects KwaZulu-Natal with Gauteng via Van Reenens pass.
If you are driving through Swaziland, cross into South Africa at Golela and get onto the N2 southbound.
Great lengths of the N2 (coast) and N3 (Johannesburg-Durban) are toll roads. You can pay at the toll plazas with a credit card, but cash may be wiser from the point of view of card fraud.
The main companies run regular buses from Durban to Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth. Public transport east of Durban is limited.
Durban is linked to Johannesburg by rail; trains are operated by Spoornet [13].
There are some long-distance bus services, between Durban and Johannesburg for example, but as with the rest of South Africa local public transport is not a good option for tourists. Africans get about on minibus taxis, but these run on set routes, are generally not roadworthy, and are very difficult to understand. You’ll find a couple of international car hire brands including Avis, and there are a few trustworthy local firms including Tempest. The bigger the name, the more likely you are to find a branch in the nearest town, which is important if you have problems with the vehicle. You should take care to understand your liability in the event of damage to the vehicle; even if you are entirely blameless, you will probably have to pay towards the cost of the repairs.
Taxis are generally a convenient way of getting around for most tourists and locals. There are quite a few options, and the more reliable ones are
Taxis do not rove in Durban, so the best is for you to call their offices.
A lot of taxis also operate from most hotels, so that may also be an option to find one if you are in a hurry and close to a hotel.
Since the province has such a strong Indian heritage, it’s a good idea to try the local Indian restaurants. At Jai Pur Palace in Durban, try the eat-all-you-like buffet and sample as many of the dishes that tempt you. Well worth it. At the other end of the culinary scale is bunny chow, a loaf of bread hollowed out and filled with curry. Be careful - food hygiene may be poor where bunny chow is sold.
If you are staying at B&Bs, your hosts will know where you can get a good meal. The newer shopping malls generally have a good choice of reasonable eating places; most towns have international fast-food franchises.
The general South African safety rules apply in this province. A particular menace in KwaZulu-Natal is credit-card fraud. Keep your card in sight at all times, always check that the card returned to you is your card, and check your card statement when you get home.
| This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow! |
Category: Usable articles
   | KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government homepage - KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government |
| | Zulu Kingdom - Official tourist information site - Index of /kzn |
| | Accommodation information for the KwaZulu-Natal National Parks - KwaZulu Natal Parks and surrounds - KZN Parks - Accommodation Safaris and Wildlife |
| | KwaZulu-Natal shack dwellers' movement - Abahlali baseMjondolo | Sekwanele! |
| | Free KwaZulu Natal Drakensberg Tourist Map - Drakensberg Tourist Map - Guide to accommodation and activities in the Drakensberg Mountains. |
| | Accommodation in Kwazulu Natal - Kwazulu-Natal Accommodation | Accommodation in KwaZulu Natal | Accommodation KZN | Accommodation Kwazulu-Natal | South-Africa |
| | KwaZulu Natal from South Africa Tours - KwaZulu Natal - South Africa |
| | Drakensberg Mountains in KwaZulu Natal - Drakensberg accommodation, hiking trails, tourism, adventure and property |
| | South African Statistics - Statistics South Africa - Home |
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