Durban
Durban is a coastal city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and serves as the country's principal port and third-largest urban centre. With a metropolitan population of about 3.9-million, it is a major economic hub on the Indian Ocean coast. The city is home to the Port of Durban, the busiest container terminal in sub-Saharan Africa and a critical gateway for South African and regional trade, handling automotive exports, bulk commodities and manufactured goods. Durban's economy is anchored by logistics, manufacturing, tourism and agriculture, with significant petrochemical and automotive industries clustered around the port and industrial zones. The city's subtropical climate and beaches make it a leading domestic and international tourist destination. Durban also hosts a diverse population, with a large Indian community that has shaped its cultural and commercial character since the nineteenth century. The municipality has invested in renewable energy and electric-vehicle infrastructure as part of broader decarbonisation efforts. Durban was established as a British settlement in 1835 and named after Sir Benjamin D'Urban, then governor of the Cape Colony, growing rapidly as a port serving the interior and later the industrial heartland of Gauteng.
Durban Updates
Sinikithemba: The Labour of Hope and Science at McCord Hospital in the Era of HIV
23rd July 2026 During the HIV pandemic that escalated into a national crisis in South Africa, a hospital in the city of Durban emerged as an internationally... →
A sharp fall in gas supplies in 2028 threatens South Africa’s economy: how to manage the fallout
22nd July 2026 South Africans are getting used to the term “gas cliff” as pressure ramps up for action to be taken ahead of expected gas shortages. Natural gas... →
World Bank facility extended to support water, sanitation sector reforms in South Africa 
By: Schalk Burger 20th July 2026 The new $1.5-billion loan from International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) to South Africa, the fourth stand-alone Development... →
South Africa's financial resilience built up by fiscal reforms; broader reforms must continue – BLSA
By: Schalk Burger 20th July 2026 The resilience shown by the South African economy since re-escalation of the US-Israel and Iran war, with the rand holding up better than it has... →
SA: Cyril Ramaphosa: Address by South Africa's President, at the official line-off launch of the Toyota ninth-generation Hilux, Prospecton Plant, eThekwini
16th July 2026 Few vehicles have earned the affection and trust of South Africans as the Hilux has. For more than half a century it has travelled our highways and... →
What will it take for South Africa to outsmart Mandrax traffickers?
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 14th July 2026 The May seizure of over 700 kg of methaqualone, or Mandrax, was one of the largest at a South African border post in recent years. Acting on... →
South African protesters go door-to-door forcing immigrants from their homes
By: Reuters 10th July 2026 Groups of anti-immigration South Africans seized foreigners from their homes in Johannesburg on Thursday and handed them to police in a hardening... →
ActionSA Honours Lt-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s Historic 6 July Press Conference Blowing The Whistle on Corruption
6th July 2026 ActionSA extends utmost appreciation and respect to South African Police Service Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. He continues to demonstrate... →
Ntshavheni raises concerns over Zuma’s India visit; briefs on immigration, Cabinet updates
By: Tasneem Bulbulia 3rd July 2026 Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni on July 3 briefed media on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held earlier this week, noting that... →
Scared but staying: Some migrants dig in as South Africa turns hostile
By: Reuters 2nd July 2026 Ethiopian refugee Helana Wolde locked his home and watched on television as thousands of angry demonstrators marched through South Africa this week... →
