Pinetown, town,KwaZulu-Natal province,South Africa. Pinetown is situated at an elevation of 1,000 to 1,300 feet (305 to 395 m) in the hills adjoining Durban on the northwest. First laid out in 1847 and later named after Sir Benjamin Pine, governor of Natal (1873–75), Pinetown did not officially become a town until 1948. It is now an important industrial center with factories producing leather goods, concrete products, corrugated containers, plywood products, aluminum products, and confectionery. Much of the populationcommutes to work in Durban, and a sizable minority of it is Indian. Pinetown lies on the national road and railway fromDurban toPietermaritzburg. Pop. (2011) 144,026.