Pietermaritzburg

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Pietermaritzburg

Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city of the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. (). It was founded in 1838. Popularly called Maritzburg, it is home to a campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and also produces aluminium as well as timber and dairy products. Population: 228,549 (1991 census, although current population is between 350,000 and 500,000).

History

The city was originally founded by Voortrekkers, following the defeat of Dingane at the Battle of Blood River, and was the capital of the short-lived Boer republic, Natalia. Britain took over Pietermaritzburg in 1843 and it became the seat of the Natal Colony's administration with the first lieutenant-governor, Martin West, making it his home. Fort Napier, named after the governor of the Cape Colony, Sir George Napier, was built to house a garrison. In 1893 Natal received responsibility for their own government and an assembly building was built along with the city hall. In 1910, when the Union of South Africa was formed, Natal became a province of the union, and Pietermaritzburg remained the capital.

Origins of the name

There are two versions as to the origin of its name. One is, that it was named after Piet Retief and Gert Maritz, two famous Voortrekker leaders. The other, that it was named after Piet Retief alone, since his full name was Pieter Maritz Retief. Retief was killed by Dingane, successor to Shaka, king of the Zulus. Maritz actually died in battle with the Zulus at Bloukranz, some hundreds of kilometres further North and so did not ever reach the Pietermaritzburg area.

At the time of the rise of the Zulu Empire, the site that was to become Pietermaritzburg was called Umgungundlovu. This is popularly translated from the Zulu as, "Place of the Elephant", although it could also be translated to mean, "The elephant wins". Umgungundlovu is thus thought to be the site of some Zulu king's victory, since "Elephant" (Indlovu) is a name traditionally taken by the Zulu monarch. Legend has it that Shaka had his warriors hunt elephant there, to sell the ivory to English traders at Durban, then called Port Natal. Today, the town is still called by its Voortrekker name, although the municipality it is part of bears the Zulu name.

The university

The University of Natal started in 1909 as the Natal University College and extended to Durban in 1922. The two campuses were incorporated into the University of Natal in March 1949. It became a major voice in the struggle against Apartheid, and was one of the first universities in the country to provide education to black students. This campus boasts association with a remarkable array of world-class academics and has famous alumni distributed throughout the world.

Mahatma Gandhi

Pietermaritzburg is also famous for an incident early in the life of Mahatma Gandhi, wherein he was thrown off a train for riding in the first class carriage (and being Indian). This incident inspired Gandhi to begin his career protesting against laws discriminating against Indians in South Africa. Today, a bronze statue of Gandhi stands in Church Street, in the city centre.

Other historical events

The first newspaper in Natal, the Natal Witness (now known as The Witness), was published in 1846.
The 46 hectare Botanic Gardens were created in 1872 by the Botanic Society of Natal.
The city hall, which is the largest red-brick building in the Southern Hemisphere, was destroyed by fire in 1895, but was rebuilt in 1901.
The British built a concentration camp here during the Second Boer War to house Boer women and children.

Capital Status

Pietermarizburg is one of Africa's most historic capitals, It is a thriving, friendly city. Prior to the end of apartheid in 1994, Pietermaritzburg was the capital of the South African province of Natal. Following the first post-apartheid elections in South Africa, as a result of which the Inkatha Freedom Party won a majority in the KwaZulu Natal provincial government, Pietermaritzburg shared its status as capital of the (then newly-created) province of KwaZulu Natal with Ulundi. Pietermaritzburg became the legislative capital of the new province, while Ulundi became the administrative capital. The IFP, being strongly Zulu nationalist, desired that Ulundi, the capital of the Zulu Kingdom at the time of its fall to the British in the Anglo-Zulu War, be the post-apartheid capital of the province. Ulundi had also been the capital of the bantustan KwaZulu, which makes up a portion of modern KwaZulu Natal. However, Ulundi severely lacked the infrastructure to be an effective seat of government, and the ANC and the DP, the two other strong political parties in the province, among others, called for Pietermaritzburg alone to be the capital. The debate came to an end when the ANC came to power in the province in 2004, and named Pietermaritzburg the sole capital of KwaZulu Natal; this resulted in a rapid rise in house prices.

Educational institutions

Sport

The city has its own Premier Soccer League club, Maritzburg United.

In January there is an annual canoe race, Dusi Canoe Marathon, from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. The route follows the Msunduzi River into the Mgeni River, through the Valley of a Thousand Hills into the Inanda Dam and from here to the mouth of the Mgeni River.

The Comrades Marathon takes place annually in June between Pietermaritzburg and Durban. It has been run since 1921 and attracts thousands of entrants. The start of the race alternates between the two cities.

The Midmar Mile is one of the largest open-water swimming events in the world; taking place at Midmar Dam, north of Pietermaritzburg in February every year, it attracts over 16,000 swimmers from around the world.

Famous residents

Brendon Dedekind, swimmer (b. 1976)
Kevin Volans, composer (b. 1949)

External links

Pietermaritzburg | KwaZulu-Natal Province | Cities in South Africa

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