Pinetown | |
|---|---|
  Pinetown  Pinetown | |
| Coordinates:29°49′S30°51′E / 29.817°S 30.850°E /-29.817; 30.850 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | KwaZulu-Natal |
| Municipality | eThekwini |
| Established | 1849; 176 years ago (1849)[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 86.15 km2 (33.26 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 144,026 |
| • Density | 1,700/km2 (4,300/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 67.8% |
| • Coloured | 4.3% |
| • Indian/Asian | 9.3% |
| • White | 18.0% |
| • Other | 0.6% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Zulu | 55.4% |
| • English | 31.4% |
| • Afrikaans | 3.8% |
| • Xhosa | 3.3% |
| • Other | 6.2% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 3610 |
| PO box | 3600 |
| Area code | 031 |
Pinetown is a city that forms part of theeThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, based just inland fromDurban inKwaZulu-Natal,South Africa. The city is situated 16 km (10 mi) north-west ofDurban and 64 km (40 mi) south-east ofPietermaritzburg.
Until December 2023, Pinetown (excl.New Germany) maintained a distinct vehicular identity through its "NPN” registration plate prefix, representing Natal Pinetown.
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Pinetown" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Pinetown was named after the governor of Natal, SirBenjamin Pine. The town was established in 1850 around the Wayside Hotel, itself built in 1849 along the main wagon route between Durban andPietermaritzburg. In theVictorian era Pinetown was known as health resort.[3][4]
During theSecond Boer War, theBritish built aconcentration camp in Pinetown to houseBoer women and children.[5]
A number of German settlers made Pinetown their base and this accounts for the neighbourhood known asNew 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 inMariannhill, home to the Mariannhill monastery founded by Abbot Pfanner. The establishment of this monastery had huge influence in the expansion of the Catholic Church in KwaZulu Natal.
The neighbouring area ofClermont was a solely black residential zone during theapartheid era, with land tenure being on a freehold basis unlike the state-owned townships elsewhere in Greater Durban metropolis. 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 lawyerArchie Gumede. Other personalities associated with Clermont are relatives of the leader of the world-renownedLadysmith Black Mambazo musical group.
Pinetown lies at the base of Fields Hill on theuMbilo River, surrounded byWestville to the east,Queensburgh to the south-east andKloof to the north-west. It is also centrally located to many predominantlyIndian andBlacktownships includingKwaDabeka andClermont to the north-east,Chatsworth to the south-east, Klaarwater to the south and Luganda, Sgubudwini, Mpola, Tshelimnyama and KwaNdengezi to the south-west.[6]
Pinetown is mostly hilly, apart from the relatively flatcentral business district. The eastern areas, includingCowies Hill and theNew Germany Nature Reserve, rise to about 400 m (1,312 ft) above sea level. In the north, Berkshire Downs inNew Germany reaches around 393 m (1,289 ft). The lowest elevations, ranging between 170 m (558 ft) and 300 m (984 ft), are found in the southern parts of Pinetown.[7]
Pinetown is part of the largereThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and for voting purposes, falls within theIEC electoralWard 18. Pinetown covers a large area of 86.15 km2 extending from theNew Germany area to the north to Regency Park and Savannah Park to the south and from Paradise Valley and Moseley to the east to the industrial areas of Westmead and Mahogany Ridge that lie on the foot of Fields Hill to the west.[8]
Two large corporations are based in Pinetown includingSPAR South Africa (retailer) andEducor (tertiary education). Smaller local companies based in Pinetown include Beier Group (technical textiles and personal protective equipment), Manolis Munchies (snacks retailer), Masscash (wholesaler owned by Massmart) and Powasol (chemicals).[9][10][11][12]
Pinetown is one of four key industrial hubs in the Durban-Pinetown core industrial region, supported by various industrial suburbs. The western area includes Westmead, Mahogany Ridge, Alexander Park, and Surprise Farm, while the northern area inNew Germany includes Falcon Industrial Park, Mountain Ridge, New Germany Industrial Park, and Pineside. To the south, notable locations include Hagart Road Industrial, Southmead, and Mariann Industrial Park. The Pinetown region, particularly around Mahogany Ridge, hosts major distribution centres for companies likeClicks,PicknPay andWoolworths.
The first phase of a rapid bus system, GO!Durban, was due for implementation in September 2019, but was postponed because the municipality is scared of the Taxi bosses[citation needed]. The first phase envisages a link between Pinetown CBD andKwaMashu’s Bridge City Mall.[13]
Metrorail operates commuter trains between Pinetown andDurban viaQueensburgh along the Old Main Line, the historic railway connecting Durban andPietermaritzburg. Key stations on this line in Pinetown include Pinetown railway station, which serves as the western terminus, as well as Sarnia, Glen Park, and Moseley. Additionally, Metrorail provides service from Durban toCato Ridge via Queensburgh,Mariannhill (a southern suburb of Pinetown), andMpumalanga on the New Main Line, the newer railway line between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.
Pinetown is well-connected to four majorfreeways. TheN3 connects the town withDurban to the south-east andPietermaritzburg to the north-west. TheM13, named King Cetshwayo Highway, connects the town with Durban to the south-east viaWestville andHillcrest to the north-west viaKloof andGillitts. Running south-east, theM7, named Solomon Mahlangu Drive, connects the town withQueensburgh. Running east, theM19 connects the town with Westville and Durban.
The town is also intersected by a number ofmetropolitan routes, namely; theM1 (Henry Pennington Road) toChatsworth in the south-east,M5 toKwaDabeka andKwaMashu in the north and Queensburgh in the south-east,M32 (Rodger Sishi Road) to Westville in the east,M31 (Josiah Gumede Road) which runs as the main street of the town towardsCowies Hill and theM34 (Hans Dettman Highway) toShallcross in the south.
TheN3 is the main route forming theMariannhill Toll Route (between Paradise Valley and Key Ridge) and involves payment oftoll: Traffic arriving in Pinetown from the west and traffic heading west on the N3 (in the direction ofPietermaritzburg) must pass through the Mariannhill Toll Plaza, just west of Pinetown. TheM13 between Paradise Valley (east of Pinetown) and Key Ridge (west of Pinetown, nearAssagay) serves as an untolled alternative route to the N3 to avoid the Mariannhill Toll Plaza.
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 theJSE-listed company Vukile, and was upgraded to offer over 100 stores.[14]
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved. Find sources: "Pinetown" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
One of five campuses of theUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal is in Pinetown, on the corner of Richmond (now renamed to Henry Pennington Road) 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 theUniversities of Natal andDurban-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 in Pinetown include:
Pre-Schools in Pinetown include:
Pinetown's medical facilities include:
Pinetown Police Station is located on Josiah Gumede Road in the Pinetown CBD with its largeSAPS policing precinct covering most of Pinetown as well asKloof,New Germany,Wyebank and Zamokuhle. The southern portion of Pinetown, known as the greater Mariannhill area, stretching south fromMariannhill to Regency Park and Savannah Park is covered by Mariannhill SAPS.[17][18][19]
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved. Find sources: "Pinetown" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
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.
Pinetown is situated on the route of the popularComrades 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.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
.svg)
