Durban – South Africa’s southeastern city of Durban was this week battered by the heaviest rains on record, flattening some neighbourhoods and killing more than 300 people.
Here are some facts about the city.
History
Durban is South Africa’s third-largest city by population with 3.5 million people.
It was founded in 1835 on what was then known as the Port Natal and then renamed after a British army general and colonial governor of the Cape Colony, Sir Benjamin D’Urban.
Economy
Durban has one of the southern hemisphere’s largest ports and is the busiest gateway to seaborne trade for countries in southern Africa.
As a key global trade conduit for its neighbours, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, Lesotho and eSwatini have traditionally depended on it for the bulk of their imports and exports.
It is the base of South Africa’s sugar industry and a nerve centre of a diverse manufacturing industry that includes Japanese automaker Toyota.
According to the Durban municipality, the port and its related industries contribute more than 20 percent of the city’s GDP.
Tourism
Popular for its idyllic Indian Ocean beaches and game and nature reserves, it is a magnet for both local and international tourists, competing with Cape Town for travellers’ cash. Its international airport receives long-haul international flights.
Politics
Durban bore the brunt of last July’s deadly riots that began when former president Jacob Zuma was sent to prison for refusing to testify in a corruption probe.
It is a bastion of Zuma’s political support, counting a significant number of voters for the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
People
Zulus form the largest single ethnic group in the city and surrounding areas, but the city also hosts the largest concentration of Indians in South Africa.
Counted among some of the world’s fastest-growing urban regions, Durban hosts major sporting events, including cricket and athletics. The Comrades ultramarathon, first run in 1921, is staged annually between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg, about 80km (55 miles) away.
Durban was one of the major host cities for the 2010 football World Cup at its 70,000-seat Moses Mabhida Stadium.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@sssfinditfaster
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