Hibberdene is a small coastal town on the

KwaZulu-Natal South Coast The KwaZulu-Natal South Coast (better known as the KZN South Coast or just the South Coast) is a region along the southern stretch of coastline of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, south of the coastal city of Durban. The primary hubs of the South ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, approximately 23 km (14 mi) north-east of

Port Shepstone Port Shepstone is a large town situated on the mouth of the Mzimkhulu River, the largest river on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast of South Africa. It is located halfway between Hibberdene and Margate, KwaZulu-Natal, Margate and is positioned 120&nbs ...

and 90 km (56 mi) south-west of

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

and halfway between coastal towns of

Scottburgh Scottburgh () is a coastal resort town located along the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It situated south of the mouth of the Mpambanyoni River ''(confuser of birds).'' Prior to 1 December 2023, vehicle registration plates in Scot ...

and Margate. Hibberdene is situated on a coastal hillside between the uMhlungwa River to the north and the uMzimayi River to the south, both of which drain into the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

. The town was named after C. Maxwell-Hibberd, the former postmaster-general of Natal.

Law and government

Municipal administration

Previously an independent municipality and part of the defunct

Hibiscus Coast Local Municipality Hibiscus Coast Local Municipality was a local municipality (South Africa), local municipality in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It governed the Hibiscus Coast, KwaZulu-Natal, Hibiscus Coast on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast which att ...

, Hibberdene now forms part of the

Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality Ray Nkonyeni Municipality () is a local municipality within the Ugu District Municipality in South Africa. It is located on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal. It was established after the August 2016 local elections by merging the Ezinqoleni an ...

and the larger

Ugu District Municipality The Ugu District Municipality () is one of the 11 districts of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. ''Ugu'' is isiZulu for "coast". It governs the KZN South Coast and its seat is Port Shepstone. The majority of its 722,484 inhabitants spok ...

Municipal re-demarcation

As the 2024 national government elections near, there have recently been several demarcation proposals made by the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) to relocate Ward 13 of the

which includes Hibberdene and its neighbouring settlements of Woodgrange-on-Sea,

Umzumbe Umzumbe or uMzumbe is a seaside resort situated at the mouth of the Mzumbe River ''(bad kraal)'' in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The name of the river is derived from a band of Hlongwa cannibals who occupied the valley. The Hlongwa was almost wi ...

(Umzumbe Village), Fairview/Fairview Mission and eNtaba to the adjoining

Umzumbe Local Municipality Umzumbe Municipality () is a local municipality within the Ugu District Municipality, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The municipality is named after the Umzumbe River. Towns within the municipal boundaries include Friedenau, Kw ...

. However, Umzumbe Village and Fairview would still remain part of Ray Nkonyeni. It has also been highlighted that the relocation of most of Ward 13 to Umzumbe Municipality is in a bid to stimulate economic activity in the Greater Umzumbe area, a rural municipality plagued with administrative mismanagement, high levels of unemployment and little economic and social development. The reason for the relocation is also attributed to the fact that Hibberdene serves as the nearest urban service centre to the Greater Umzumbe area. A final decision on the demarcation proposals is yet to made regarding the relocation of Hibberdene to the Umzumbe Municipality.

Demographics

The 2011 census divided the main area of Hibberdene into seven “sub places”: Hibberdene proper (pop. 790), the coastal areas of Catalina (pop. 455) to the north, Woodgrange-on-Sea (pop. 292) to the immediate south,

(pop. 366) to the far south and the inland rural areas of Fairview (pop. 1,606) and Fairview Mission (pop. 527) to the west.

Retail

Hibberdene serves as a shopping centre for the small settlements and countryside surrounding it such as

Mthwalume Mtwalume, correctly known as uMthwalume, is a settlement in Ugu District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. A small seaside village about 87 km south of Durban, it is predominantly a holiday and fishing village. The ...

and

Mathulini Mathulini is a town in Umzumbe Local Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Af ...

. The town centre of Hibberdene, located along the R102, includes the Hibberdene Village Mall, a PicknPay supermarket, and several other retailers, hardware stores, and local businesses.

Culture and comptemptory life

Tourism

Similarly to most towns along the South Coast, Hibberdene mostly depends on tourism for its small-scale economy. Situated at the gateway to the Hibiscus Coast, Hibberdene is popularly known as an affordable holiday destination and for its beaches. Hibberdene has five popular beaches, four of which are netted and thus are safe for swimming. Hibberdene's beaches are popular because of the warm

flowing across its shoreline, making diving, snorkelling and scuba diving very pleasant. Two of its beaches, Hibberdene Beach and Umzumbe Beach are accredited with the international

Blue Flag beach The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE, which is a Not-for-profit organi ...

status.

Transport

Hibberdene can be accessed through the following major routes: * N2 – A freeway bypassing Hibberdene, running from

in the north to

in the south. * R102 – The main road through Hibberdene, connecting Pennington in the north to

and Port Shepstone in the south and providing access to the N2 at exit 72. The R102 between Hibberdene and Port Shepstone is commonly used by motorists wishing to avoid tolling on the N2 in Port Shepstone. A twice daily shuttle bus stops in Hibberdene connecting the town with Margate,

and

King Shaka International Airport King Shaka International Airport , abbreviated KSIA, is the primary international airport serving Durban, South Africa. It is located in La Mercy, KwaZulu-Natal, approximately north of the city centre of Durban. The airport opened its doors ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hibberdene, Kwazulu-Natal Populated places in the Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality Populated coastal places in South Africa KwaZulu-Natal South Coast