eMuziwezinto, previously and still commonly known as Umzinto, is a town located approximately 40 kilometres (23 miles) 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 ...

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 ...

. It was a

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

growing town, that was set up as the centre for a sugar mill. Before December 1st, 2023,

vehicle registration plates A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English, British, Indian English , Indian and Australian English), license plate (American English) or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached t ...

in Umzinto began with "NX", where the "N" represented Natal. The exact meaning of the "X" remains unclear, as this vehicle registration code also covered areas such as

Park Rynie Park Rynie is a small resort town, where Emilio used to live, on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was established in 1857 and possibly named after Renetta (nicknamed Rynie) Hoets, wife of one of the John Phillip Hoffman, par ...

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 ...

Umkomaas Umkomaas, also known by its official name eMkhomazi, is a small coastal town on the subtropical South Coast (KwaZulu-Natal), South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa was formed when a harbour was built in 1861 to export sugar. The town rests b ...

. The plates have now been updated to the provincial code "ZN", which stands for

Suburbs

* Alexandra * Archibald * Asoka Heights * Billie Farm * Braemar * Dumisa * Esperanza * Gandhinagar * Hazelwood * Hibiscus * Humberdale Farm * Nishaat Gardens * Riverside Park * Roshen Heights * Roseville * Sanathan * Shayamoya * Sonti * St. Patricks * Umzinto CBD * Umzinto Heights

Etymology

"Umzinto" is said to be derived from the Zulu"''umenzi wezinto''", meaning "the

kraal Kraal (also spelled ''craal'' or ''kraul'') is an Afrikaans and Dutch language, Dutch word, also used in South African English, for an pen (enclosure), enclosure for cattle or other livestock, located within a Southern African Human settlement ...

r placeof accomplishment". According to an urban legend, the town's name derived from a visit by two men, one of whom was named Um. On encountering a stream, the men decided to cross it, but Um did not notice the crocodile lurking beneath the surface. Subsequently, Um was attacked by the crocodile, and bitten in half. "Um's in two!" his friend exclaimed. The legend has been ascribed to

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer, essayist, satirist, and Anglican cleric. In 1713, he became the Dean (Christianity), dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and was given the sobriquet "Dean Swi ...

but Swift died in 1745, decades before the British encountered the region.

History

The first public company in Natal was established at Umzinto on the 6 July 1846. The

fields on the outskirts of Umzinto are owned & run by The Crookes Brothers, a JSE listed company. Umzinto was named the last town in Durban in 1963. The town was called "Alexandra County" which was also a collection of other towns such as

, Pennington, & Sezela, during the apartheid-era.

Geography

Umzinto lies just inland from the coastal village of

, in hilly countryside and to the north of the uMzinto River, after which it is named. The nearest settlements to Umzinto include Park Rynie (8 km),

Amandawe Amandawe () also known as Amandawe Mission, or often informally abbreviated as A.M.A or A.M is a small township in the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast region of South Africa. The area is mostly populated with Black Africans. History Amandawe was a sug ...

(10 km),

(12 km), Pennington (16 km) and Amahlongwa (16 km).

Economy

Today, Umzinto has become a small yet bustling town that serves as a service centre to the surrounding rural communities. Typical of many small South African towns, Umzinto has a singular main road, Nelson Mandela Road, that forms the backbone of the town lined by a number of national and local retailers and businesses. Umzinto was once the home of three large

textile mill Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...

s, namely Alitex, Bally Spinning Mills and MYM Textiles that used to export abroad. Today only one survives and is not as productive as it used to be. Consequently, this has affected the economy of Umzinto negatively.

Sport

Umzinto hosted two class-A cricket matches at the Alexandra Memorial Ground, one on 2 March 1974, when Natal B hosted Griqualand West in the

Currie Cup The Currie Cup () is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier domestic competition, four South African franc ...

Section B, and again on 19 March 1977, when Natal B faced Border in the same contest.

Law & Government

The municipality has not maintained the roads and currently the roads are in a deplorable condition. In 1995, low cost housing was developed on the outskirts called Gandhi Nagar.

Education & Community

Schools: * Umzinto Primary School * Braemar Primary School * Umzintovale Primary School * Scholar Amoris School * Umzinto Islamic School * St. Annes Primary School * St. Patricks Primary School * Umzinto Secondary School * Roseville Secondary School Umzinto also houses a Darul-Uloom called "Madrassa Da'watul Haq" that has produced many graduates who have memorised the entire Quraan. Community Halls: * Sanathan Hall * Islamic Cultural Centre * Umzinto Town Hall Places of Worship: * Wayside Chapel * Sai Ashram Temple * Sri Shiva (S.S.) Temple * Sanathan Dharma Temple * St. Annes Catholic Church * Gandhinagar Church * Esperanza Temple * Umzinto Mosque * Eagle Mountain Christian Fellowship * Sri Vishu Temple * Jaame' Masjid

Media

Radio Station : Life FM KZN

Infrastructure

Railways

Until halfway through the 1980s, Umzinto was the southern terminus of the Umzinto - Donnybrook narrow gauge railway and had

transshipment Transshipment, trans-shipment or transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, then to another destination. One possible reason for transshipment is to change the means of transport during the journey (e.g. ...

facilities to a

Cape gauge A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

branch line to Kelso, along the railway to

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

Road

Nelson Mandela Road (P197-3) is the north–south main road connecting Umzinto with Esperanza and

that passes through the Umzinto CBD and provides access to the R612, while the R612 is an east–west regional route connecting

with

Ixopo Ixopo, also known as Stuartstown, is a town situated on a tributary of the uMkhomazi River along the R56 highway in the midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Background The town was laid out in 1878 and named after M Stuart, Resident Magistr ...

that by-passes Umzinto to the south and provides access to the

N2 freeway The N2 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through George, Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha, Port Shepstone and Durban to Ermelo. It is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. Its current length of ...

(to

and

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 ...

) by-passing Umzinto to the east. Umzinto can also be accessed by turning off the R612 onto Park Rynie Road from the south-east.

Notable residents

* Devi Sankaree Govender (Anchorwoman), a South African Media Icon & Investigative Television Journalist. She's Known Especially For Her Work In Carte Blanche. * Bruce Gounder, Professionally Known As "Bush Knife Bobby", Is A Nationally Recognised Actor & Comedian. * Muthu Murugan, Is Celebrated As The Most Renowned

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

Comedian of All Time In South Africa. Born In Umzinto & Raised In Chatsworth, He Has Become a Beloved Figure In The Comedy Scene. * Bavelile Hlongwa (1981–2019), South African politician and chemical engineer. * Loganathan Peter Govender (Colonel) The SAPS National Programme Manager for Gender-Based Violence and Victim Empowerment at the National Office and former Crime Prevention Commander at SAPS Umzinto and received numerous awards and accolades for Community Policing. * Sadanund Ramjee Dhaja (captain) a police officer who served with decorum and integrity and received accolades for highest arrests in the prevention of crime (1997).

References

{{Authority control Populated places in the Umdoni Local Municipality KwaZulu-Natal South Coast