Durban (Zulu: eThekwini) is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa. It is also a major centre of tourism due to the city's warm subtropical climate and beaches.

 

According to the 2007 Community Survey, the city has a population of almost 3.5 million. Durban's land area of 2,292 square kilometres (884.9 sq mi) is comparatively larger than other South African cities, resulting in a somewhat lower population density of 1,513 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,918.7/sq mi)

 

Today, Durban is the busiest container port in Africa, and a popular tourist destination. The Golden Mile, developed as a welcoming tourist destination in the 1970s, as well as Durban at large, provide ample tourist attractions, particularly for people on holiday from Johannesburg. It lost its international holiday pre-eminence to Cape Town in the 1990s, but remains more popular among domestic tourists. Durban also lost its international Blue Flag status thank's to the mismanagement of the city manager Dr. Michael Sutcliffe.

 

Less than 30 kilometres west of Durban, Kloof was the region of choice in the late 19th Century for captains of commerce, industry and government, who built far from the City’s cloying humidity.

 

Today, the Upper Highway encompasses about 10 little suburbs stretching from Kloof to Hillcrest and the horsy enclaves of Assagay and Shongweni up to Botha’s Hill. The Upper Highway has, to all intents and purposes, become self-contained and is increasingly seen as providing space for a healthier, more family friendly lifestyle. The area is home to many of KZN’s top private schools, including Kearsney, St Mary’s, Thomas More and Highbury.

 

The property boom spawned massive commercial, residential and tourism estates and developments, particularly in Hillcrest and Kloof. Today, little corner cafés are long gone, replaced with mega-shopping centres in Hillcrest. There are still taverns and ‘locals’, like Stokers, and established older areas where grand properties sit on their ‘Kloof acre’ near Kloof Golf Course. Hillcrest is renowned for its estates, while Kloof tends towards free-standing homes, with prices on the top end touching R7- to R8-million. The buoyant rental market sees garden cottages go for around R3 500 a month, while luxury homes rent for R40 000 a month. Strengths: Less humid, a real winter, village-like, less flashy, superb schools, large value-for- money properties, established trees/greenery.

 

Hillcrest lost its independent Town Board status in 1996 and was made subject to administration by the Outer West Local Council - a substructure council of the then Durban Unicity. In 2000, the Outer West Local Council, along with other local councils, was disestablished and were replaced by the single eThekwini Municipality encompassing the entire Durban metropolitan area.

 

The suburb of Hillcrest had become known as a middle-income residential area after the influx of capital in the past 10 years spurred on the construction of many shopping and lifestyle centres. The town centre is barely recognisable from the way it was a decade ago.

 

The eThekwini Municipal Area (EMA) is an amalgamation of seven council areas and some tribal land into one metropolitan area. This area stretches from Umkomaas in the south, including some tribal area in Umbumbulu, to Tongaat in the north, moving inland to some tribal area in Ndwedwe, and ends at Cato Ridge in the west. The EMA covers an area of 2297 square kilometres, with a population of approximately 3 million people. The newly demarcated boundary increased the Durban Metropolitan area by 68% although increasing the population by only 9%.

The majority of the newly incorporated areas are very rural in character with 50% of the area being used for subsistence farming and only 2% under urban settlement. These areas have little or very poorly maintained infrastructure. Being incorporated into the EMA brings hope of access to better services and opportunities to these residents. The provision of basic services to these areas is the challenge that council now faces.

There are seven operational entities within the EMA. These are the Metro, Central, Inner West, Outer West, North, South and Umkomaas Operational Entities. In the new dispensation, the eThekwini council has 200 councillors. One hundred of them are elected ward councillors and the other hundred candidates were elected to represent political parties on the basis of proportional representation.

The city has established, and maintains, world-class infrastructure to support growth. Industrial development and modernisation have resulted in the development of a modern freeway system with fast access inland, a large rail network, a sophisticated port, international airport, as well as water, recycled water, electricity and effluent disposal networks. This represents an important foundation for any further expansion in the regional economy.