Looking back...

Durban may have been overtaken by Johannesburg in terms of population, but South Africa’s second largest city can take consolation in having a longer history than Joburg, even though over three hundred years past between when Vasco da Gama arrived 1497 and when a formal British settlement was established in 1824.  Despite naming the bay, “Terra do Natal” (meaning Christmas Country, because it was around Christmastime when da Gama landed), the Portuguese did not feel compelled to establish a port in the bay as they already had great Indian Ocean access from Maputo.  The British Cape Colony finally founded “Port Natal,” arranging a shaky deal with the Zulus who tolerated the port for its trade benefits.  The Voortrekkers, who arrived in Natal in 1837, did not continue the same good relations with the Zulus and battle ensued before the victorious Voortrekkers founded the republic of Natalia.  Soon after the Zulus were defeated, however, battle over the region continued, this time against the British.  British victory in 1844 brought Natal into the British Cape Colony while the Voortrekkers continued north to other regions.  Throughout the power struggle, the settlement remained small.  Once officially incorporated into the formal British colony, however, it became one of the most important ports of the empire.

In the early 20^th c. the city authorities used revenue from the municipal beer monopoly to invest in city infrastructure while they consolidated control through strict policing and the requirement of permits to limit immigration.  They built townships – like Lamontville, Durban’s oldest – specifically for Africans so as to restrict their living quarters to one area.  These township communities then became centers of protest in response to the government’s failure to provide adequate services and their inhabitants played a large role in the struggle against the injustice of the apartheid system at large.  In the late 20^th c. and into the current century, Durban developed a great reputation for tourism, thanks to a warm climate, a beautiful beach along the Golden Mile, and a dynamic multicultural environment.

While the first known written documentation of Durban did not precede da Gama’s visit, archaeological evidence suggests that hunter-gatherers inhabited the area since 100,000 BC, followed by Bantu farmers and pastoralists.  This part of the history is greatly overshadowed by the European and apartheid histories of the city.  This dominance is also reflected in the prominence of the name, Durban, given to the city in 1835 in honour of the Cape Governor Sir Benjamin D’Urban.  The Zulu name for the city, “Thekwini,” meaning “the place where the earth and the ocean meet,” is rarely used in maps or international conversation but in South Africa one will often see or hear references to the eThekwini Municipality.

If you're interested in learning more about Durban, I recommend the following sources:

For general historic information:

1) "Durban - History of the City" 

       http://www.southafrica-travel.net/kwazulu/edurban1.htm   

2) "Explore the Durban Local History Museums"

       http://www.durban-history.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69&Itemid=85

3) "South African History Online - Durban"

       http://www.sahistory.org.za/places/durban

On health issues...:

4) Pranitha Maharaj and John Cleland - "Condoms become the norm in the sexual culture of college students in Durban, South Africa"

       http://www.jstor.org/stable/25475258

5) Marge Berer - "HIV/AIDS, Sexual and Reproductive Health at AIDS 2000, Durban

       http://www.jstor.org/stable/3775284

On urban planning...:

6) Dianne Scott - "'Creative Destruction': Early Modernist Planning in the South Durban Industrial Zone, South Africa"

       http://www.jstor.org/stable/3557418

On apartheid history and other issues of justice...:

7) T. G. Ramamurthi - "Lessons of Durban Riots"

       http://www.jstor.org/stable/4400894

8) Brij Maharaj - "The Integrated Community Apartheid Could Not Destroy: The Warwick Avenue Triangle in Durban

       http://www.jstor.org/stable/2637602

9) Dianne Scott et al - "Double Trouble: Environmental Injustice in South Durban

       http://www.jstor.org/stable/4066473

On ethnic and cultural identity:

10) Catherine Campbell et al - "Evidence for an Ethnic Identity in the Life Histories of Zulu-Speaking Durban Township Residents"

       http://www.jstor.org/stable/2637026

11) Thomas Blom Hansen - "Plays, Politics, and Cultural Identity Among Indians in Durban"

       http://www.jstor.org/stable/2637493

Also, check out the google hybrid map of Durban and its surroundings on AfricaMap!: http://worldmap.harvard.edu/maps/1290