Hibiscus Coast

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Municipal area until 2016
Coat of arms of the municipality

Hibiscus Coast ( English Hibiscus Coast Local Municipality ) was a South African municipality in the district of Ugu in KwaZulu-Natal . The seat of the local government was Port Shepstone . Nomusa Mqwebu was the last female mayor. The ANC last provided the majority in the local council.

The community was named after the blooming hibiscus that is native to this area. In 2011 the community had 256,135 inhabitants. It covered an area of ​​839 square kilometers. In 2016, after the local elections , it merged with the Ezinqoleni municipality in the newly established Ray Nkonyeni municipality .

geography

The Hibiscus Coast belongs to the South Coast region and forms the southernmost coastline of KwaZulu-Natal. Its length is 90 kilometers. A 30-kilometer-wide coastal strip belonged to the municipality.

There were six tribal authority areas in the municipality . These are KwaXolo, KwaNzimakwe, KwaNdwalane, KwaMadlala, KwaMavundla and KwaLushaba.

The main towns in the former parish are Port Shepstone, Hibberdene and Port Edward .

economy

Hibiscus Coast was the economic center of the Ugu district. The main pillar was tourism, and agriculture was also practiced. A manufacturing industry had settled around Port Shepstone. Industrialization began around 1870 when marble was found at the mouth of the Mzimkulu River . The economic activities in the community were limited to the coastal areas. The interior of the country was underdeveloped and the population suffered from poverty.

tourism

The Hibiscus Coast is the largest center for tourism in South Africa after Durban . About 2.2 million vacationers annually came to the 21 beaches in the community for which the Hibiscus Coast is known. Six of these beaches, for example in Margate , San Lameer , Ramsgate and Hibberdene, have been awarded the Blue Flag . The mild, subtropical climate of the Hibiscus Coast and the long hours of sunshine also attract tourists in winter. For a long time the Banana Express the Alfred County Railway a special attraction. He drove to Izotsha, where a handicraft school could be visited, and to Paddock, from where a trip to the Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve was possible. This offer no longer exists since the shutdown in 2006.

Agriculture

In the town were sugar cane , bananas and timber grown. Mainly for personal use, grain was also planted on a small scale and livestock was raised.

Attractions

Every year between May and July, the so-called Sardine Run takes place off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal . Thousands of dolphins , sharks, other fish and seagulls eat many of the sardines that are migrating . The swarm of sardines is the largest in the world. You can watch how sharks and dolphins drive the sardines to the surface together so that the seabirds can better reach their prey.

Places worth seeing in the former municipality are:

  • the Margate Bird Park , a bird park with a walk-in aviary and a playground for children
  • the Riverbend Crocodile Farm , a crocodile park
  • the Skyline Nature Reserve , a nature park with a tree garden
  • the Uvongo River Reserve , a nature reserve
  • the Banana Express , a narrow-gauge steam train (out of service)
  • the Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve , a nature park in a gorge of the Umzimkulwana River

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d community ( English ) localgovernment.co.za . Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  2. ^ Municipalities of the Republic of South Africa. (PDF; 997 KB) Contact Details and Council Information. Department: Cooperative Governance - Republic of South Africa, September 27, 2010, accessed August 7, 2013 .
  3. ↑ South African Language - Place Names ( English ) Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  4. ↑ a b c d e f KwaZulu-Natal Top Business (Ed.), Hibiscus Coast Municipality.
  5. ↑ Hibiscus Coast Municipality: About us ( Memento of the original from 23 August 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . on www.hcm.gov.za (English) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hcm.gov.za
  6. ↑ a b portrait at southafrica.net (English), accessed on January 2, 2016
  7. ↑ The Hibiscus Coast ( English ) Archived from the original on 11 September 2010. Retrieved on 1 May, 2010.

Coordinates: 30 ° 45 ′  S , 30 ° 27 ′  E