Pinetown

Pinetown is a small city that is part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, inland from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Pinetown is situated 16 km west of Durban at an elevation of 1,000 to 1,300 feet (305 to 395 m).

This article is about the town in South Africa. For the unincorporated place in Delaware, see Pinetown, Delaware. For the community in North Carolina, see Pinetown, North Carolina.
Pinetown
Pinetown
Pinetown
Coordinates: 29°49′S 30°51′E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceKwaZulu-Natal
MunicipalityeThekwini
Established1849[1]
Area
 • Total86.15 km2 (33.26 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total144,026
 • Density1,700/km2 (4,300/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African67.8%
 • Coloured4.3%
 • Indian/Asian9.3%
 • White18.0%
 • Other0.6%
First languages (2011)
 • Zulu55.4%
 • English31.4%
 • Afrikaans3.8%
 • Xhosa3.3%
 • Other6.2%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
3610
PO box
3600
Area code031

History

Pinetown was named after the governor of Natal, Sir Benjamin Pine. The town was established in 1850 around the Wayside Hotel, itself built in 1849 along the main wagon route between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. In the Victorian era Pinetown was known as health resort.[3][4]

During the Second Boer War, the British built a concentration camp in Pinetown to house Boer women and children.

A number of German settlers made Pinetown their base and this accounts for the neighbourhood known as New Germany and the German Lutheran Church. Indeed, to this day imported German cakes and goodies pack the shelves at Christmas time in the Knowles Spar, the largest grocery store of Pinetown. One of the largest monasteries was located south of Pinetown in Mariannhill, home to the Mariannhill monastery founded by Abbott Francis Pfanner. The establishment of this monastery had huge influence in the expansion of the Catholic Church in KwaZulu Natal.

The area of Clermont was a solely black residential zone during the apartheid era, with land tenure being on a freehold basis unlike the state-owned townships elsewhere in the Durban vicinity. This meant residents enjoyed an atmosphere of freedom and this led to Clermont being a base for some well-known political activists during the apartheid era such as the lawyer Archie Gumede. Other personalities associated with Clermont are relatives of the leader of the world-renowned Ladysmith Black Mambazo musical group.

Municipality boundaries

Pinetown is part of the larger eThekwini Municipality and, for voting purposes, falls within the IEC electoral Ward 18.

The area from Cowies Hill in the east, along Josiah Gumede (Old Main) Road/M1 to Westmead industrial area in the west, is commonly referred to as the Pinetown area; The foundations and structures of the original town can be found at the corner of Josiah Gumede (Old Main) Road and Stapleton Road.

Infrastructure
The interchange linking the King Cetshwayo Highway and N3 freeway at Paradise Valley, Pinetown

Transport

The first phase of a rapid bus system, GO!Durban, was due for implementation in September 2019, but was postponed when the eThekwini municipality was unable to integrate taxi associations in their plans. The first phase envisages a link between Pinetown CBD and KwaMashu’s Bridge City Mall.[5]

Shopping mall

Pine Crest Centre, situated at 17 Kings Road, is the biggest retail center in town. It opened around 1988 as the Sanlam Center. In 2017 it was acquired by the JSE-listed company Vukile, and was upgraded to offer over 100 stores.[6]

Education

One of five campuses of the University of KwaZulu-Natal is in Pinetown, on the corner of Richmond and Mariannhill Roads. The Edgewood campus was originally established in the 1970s as a college to train (mostly white) students as teachers for the apartheid government's schools serving the white community. The purpose-built facilities were superior to other colleges of education where students of other races were trained as teachers. The specialised facilities enabled the training of art, music, drama, science and physical education teachers, and included rooms with overhead viewing platforms for unobtrusive classroom lesson demonstrations. In 2001, as part of the central government's rationalisation of the higher education landscape, the Edgewood College of Education was incorporated into the University of Natal. Then in 2004, with the merger of the Universities of Natal and Durban-Westville to form the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood became the new University's 5th campus. Edgewood campus is wholly dedicated to the education of teachers and education professionals and is one of the largest producers of new teachers in South Africa. On this campus the University's School of Education offers a four-year full-time Bachelor of Education (B Ed) degree and one-year full-time Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) for those wanting a teaching qualification. Various other certificates are also offered as in-service training for teachers, as well as Honours, Masters and Doctoral degrees. The library collection is specially equipped to enable those studying education from undergraduate through to doctoral levels.

Schools
Main entrance of Pinetown Girls' High School in Josiah Gumede Road, Pinetown's main arterial road

Schools in Pinetown include:

  • Pinetown Boys' High School
  • Pinetown Girls' High School
  • Benjamin Pine Primary School
  • Sarnia Primary School
  • Highway College (independent)
  • John Wesley School (independent)
  • Pinetown Junior & Senior Primary School
  • Browns School (special needs education)
  • St Benedict School Pinetown (independent)
  • Lyndhurst Primary School
  • New Germany Primary School
  • Ashley Primary School
  • St Francis College (independent)
  • Gelofte Skool, the only Afrikaans-medium school in the area
  • Margot Fonteyn Secondary School
  • Kloof High School
  • Mariannridge Primary School
  • St Wendolins Primary school
  • Kranskloof Primary School
  • Ndengetho Secondary School
  • Sarnia Primary School
  • Mathinta Secondary School
  • Thornwood Secondary School
  • KwaSanti Public Secondary
  • Nonopha Senior Primary school
  • IsiZinda Secondary school
  • Westmead Secondary school
  • Bahlebonke Primary school
  • Savannah Park Secondary
  • Jubilee Primary school

Pre-Schools

Pre-Schools in Pinetown include:

  • Kokkewiet Pre Pimêre Skool - Afrikaans
  • Stepping Stones Pre-Primary School - English
  • Whizz Kidz Pre-Primary School - English
  • Ehlophe Edu-Care School

Local businesses

Pinetown has a reputation as a "motor town", due to the high number of motor dealerships along Josiah Gumede Road (formerly Old Main Road). The city has several shopping centres, including Pine Crest and Pine Walk on Kings road, Knowles Spar superstore and St John's Checkers centre. A number of Do It Yourself (DIY) shops are located along Josiah Gumede Road.

Medical facilities

Pinetown's medical facilities include:

  • St Mary's, a government hospital in Mariannhill
  • Life Crompton Hospital, a private hospital[7]
  • Medicross, a private medical centre[8]

Sport

Cricket club

Pinetown Cricket Club, established in 1873, is believed to be the oldest cricket club in KwaZulu-Natal and amongst the oldest in South Africa. The club, originally located at the Civic Centre in central Pinetown, has subsequently moved to Lahee Park. Under the chairmanship of former Pinetown mayor Vernon Hall, Lahee Park hosted ten first class games between 1974 and 1979. Former internationals Norman Crookes (twice selected for the Springbok squad) and Tertius Bosch have previously represented the club. Khaya Zondo and Cameron Delport from the 2010 Dolphins team have a close association with the club, as do KZN "B" cricketers Bruce Kruger and Kyle Buckthorp.

Comrades Marathon

Pinetown is situated on the route of the popular Comrades Marathon, which runs along the Old Main Road from Westville, over Cowies Hill past the Civic Centre and on to Fields Hill, and vice versa. This event always attracts hundreds of spectators who line the route every year to catch a glimpse of their friends and loved ones in the marathon.

References
  1. "Chronological order of town establishment in South Africa based on Floyd (1960:20-26)" (PDF). pp. xlv–lii.
  2. "Main Place Pinetown". Census 2011.
  3. Matthews, Josiah Wright (1887). Incwadi Yami, Or, Twenty Years' Personal Experience in South Africa. Rogers & Sherwood. p. 55.
  4. Waddington, Chris (20 March 2011). "Many military heroes 'came together' in Pinetown". The Crest. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  5. Mngadi, Siboniso (13 September 2020). "R3bn GO!Durban project hits a snag as city locks horns with taxi owners". iol.co.za. IOL. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  6. "Pine Crest: About Us". Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  7. "Crompton Hospital (Life Health) in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal". SA Private Hospitals. n.d. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  8. "Medicross Pinetown Medical & Dental Centre". medpages.co.za. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.