DG Southern Africa & Mauritius 2020 * | Page 37

KwaZulu-Natal or KZN as the province is more commonly known has also been referred to as being ‘Jozi by the sea’. This is not to compare the two cities of Johannesburg (Jozi being a pet name for the country’s commercial centre) and Durban (KZN largest commercial centre) in physical terms, but is rather an oblique reference to the coastal city’s role as Gauteng’s preferred holiday playground! This might have something to do with Durban being the closest major coastal centre to South Africa’s economic engine room, but then this would be to overlook its very many attractions. Coming down the escarpment from the South African Highveld toward Durban, after the provincial capital of Pietermaritzburg, the traveller enters a sub-tropical coastal belt between the Drakensberg and the coast. Durban has the largest urban Indian population outside of the Indian subcontinent which along with other tribes and races makes for a wonderful melange in physical, cultural and culinary terms. The city is also one of the largest ports on the continent of Africa and sits as the nexus of the north and south coasts, both of which boast an array of wonderful golf courses including the Guide’s feature course for this province – the venerable Royal Durban Golf Club. A combination of sunshine and blue skies, fantastic beaches, the historic homeland of the mighty Zulu tribe, (this territory was combined with Natal to form the new province in 1994), restaurants and things to do, underline why KZN is so popular with up country residents, who flock unfailingly to the beaches and the warm waters of the Indian Ocean over every holiday season. A combination of activities, great golf courses, the warm sea and the pristine beaches are also the reason why so many European residents have chosen to invest in vacation property along the province’s beautiful sun drenched coastline. The attraction of this area to the northern hemisphere was ramped up by the completion of the King Shaka International Airport on the North Coast. This attraction will be further enhanced by the building of the new cruise liner terminal in the Point area and the redevelopment of this entire section of Durban’s historic waterfront. Whatever else can be said KZN offers a myriad of attractions to the holidaymaker and its move into the 21st century is being led by its commercial capital Durban. Durban sea port at night time DG DG SAIO SAIO 2020 2020 | 35 | 35