Southbroom is a coastal village on the South Coast of the

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

province of South Africa situated approximately halfway between

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 Port Edward – . Southbroom lies approximately southwest of the coastal city 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 south of the provincial capital city of

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; ) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after Durban. It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. The town was named in Zulu after King ...

. The village was officially founded in 1933, and in the 2011 census had a population of 1,615 in 847 households.

History

In 1884, a pioneer named Alfred Eyles established a mission on the site of the present day Outlook Farm. This is the earliest recorded settlement of Southbroom. In 1895, ''The Fascadale'' was wrecked on rocks off Southbroom beach while en route to

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, Portugal, but the timely arrival of another vessel meant that only two people died. The name "Southbroom" was first associated with the area in 1908, when the Swedish Zulu Mission took over the mission from the Eyles family, who subsequently renamed their home "Southbroom"; a reference to a family home in their native England. Frank and Gilbert Eyles, the youngest sons of Alfred, proclaimed the township in 1933. In 1935, the Southbroom Hotel opened, with its tidal pool (known as Granny's Pool) opening two years later. The golf course was first opened in 1939, before being extended to a full 18 holes in 1948.

Geography

Location

Southbroom is situated between

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town and civil parish in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in eastern Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2021 it had a population of 42,027. Ramsgate' ...

to the north and

Marina Beach Marina Beach, or simply the Marina, is a natural urban beach in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, along the Bay of Bengal. The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Foreshore Estate in the south, a distance of , making it the second longest ...

to the south, and is bounded by the uMbizane River to the north and the Kaba River to the south.

Suburbs

The 2011 census divided the main area of Southbroom into four “sub places”: Southbroom proper (pop. 878),

(pop. 247), San Lameer (pop. 93) and

Trafalgar Trafalgar most often refers to: * The Battle of Trafalgar (1805), fought near Cape Trafalgar, Spain * Trafalgar Square, a public space and tourist attraction in London, England Trafalgar may also refer to: Places * Cape Trafalgar, a headland in ...

(pop. 397).

Culture and contemporary life

Beaches

Southbroom is also home to five beaches within its vicinity including Southbroom Main Beach, Umkobi Beach on the Kaba river mouth, Marina Beach, San Lameer Beach and Trafalgar Beach. Two of these beaches, Marina Beach and Trafalgar 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 and have been holding it for many years.

Golf

Southbroom boasts two

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

s within its vicinity, Southbroom Golf Club and San Lameer Country Club.

Southbroom Golf Club

Southbroom Golf Club is a small 18-hole golf course stretching along the coastline of the village between the smattering of residences, making it an integral component of Southbroom and also ranked the most fun golf course in South Africa.

San Lameer Country Club

The more popular San Lameer Country Club located within the San Lameer Estate, south of Southbroom is a 18-hole Championship golf course designed by Peter Matkovich and Dale Hayes and is ranked by Compleat Golfer as one of the toughest golf courses in South Africa and is consistently ranked amongst the 30 best golf courses in South Africa by ''

Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its TNT Sports unit. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. The magazine started by John F. ...

''.

Tourism and hospitality

Similarly to most seaside communities along 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 ...

, Southbroom is largely dependent on tourism for its small-scale economy. Southbroom is widely known for the San Lameer Estate, located just south of the village which includes an 18-hole Championship golf course (one of the most popular golf courses on the South coast), luxury villas, a hotel and spa. Other than San Lameer, Southbroom hosts several hospitality establishments such as B&Bs, guest houses and restaurants.

Infrastructure

Roads

The

R61 R61 may refer to: * R61 (South Africa) The R61 is a long provincial route in South Africa that connects Beaufort West with Port Shepstone via Graaff-Reinet, Komani (previously Queenstown), Mthatha and Port Edward. The R61 is co-signed with th ...

(future N2 Wild Coast Toll Road) is a

provincial route A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a state or ...

passing Southbroom from

in the north to Port Edward in the south. Southbroom marks the southern end of the freeway section of the R61 and the South Coast Toll Road and the northern end of the limited-access route towards Port Edward. The R620 is the alternative route to the R61 connecting Southbroom with Port Shepstone via

and

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...

. The two main access roads into the village are Southbroom Avenue (north) and Eyles Road (south).

Nature

The Mpenjati Lagoon Nature Reserve, located between

and Palm Beach is a 60 -hectare area on the shore of the Indian Ocean and encloses the lagoon of the Mpenjati River.

References

{{Ugu District Municipality Populated places in the Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality Populated coastal places in South Africa KwaZulu-Natal South Coast