The M13 or King Cetshwayo Highway is a metropolitan route in the

Ethekwini Metropolitan Municipality eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality created in 2000, that includes the city of Durban, South Africa and surrounding towns. eThekwini is one of the 11 districts of KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The majo ...

in the

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. For part of its route, it is a highway and it acts as an alternative route to the N3 Highway for travel between the suburbs closer to the

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

CBD and the Outer West Suburbs (

Assagay Assagay, also spelt Assegay, is a suburb of eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and forms a part of the Upper Highway Area. History Assagay was formerly a small local authority on the outskirts of Durban adjacent to its sister village o ...

Route

The route starts in the

Central Business District. For the first few kilometres of its length, it runs parallel to the N3 on both sides as King Ndinuzulu Road North and King Ndinuzulu Road South (formerly Berea Road). At the Tollgate Bridge, it then turns to the south and passes westwards through Mayville (where it is co-signed with the M10 for a few metres), before turning north and crossing under the N3 to pass through

Sherwood Sherwood may refer to: Places Australia *Sherwood, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Sherwood, South Australia, a locality *Shire of Sherwood, a former local government area of Queensland *Electoral district of Sherwood, an electoral district from ...

. At 45th Cutting, the route becomes a dual-carriageway freeway for the rest of its length. The route passes over the

N2 Highway The N2 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through George, Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha and Durban to Ermelo. It is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. Its current length of makes it ...

(

Durban Outer Ring Road The Durban Outer Ring Road is a half ring road that circles the coastal city of Durban, South Africa. It consists fully of the N2 highway which links the North and South Coasts of KwaZulu-Natal, with the main link to the city being provided by ...

) westwards as a flyover and passes through Westville and Cowies Hill. The route then briefly touches the N3 at the Paradise Valley interchange (eastbound only) (motorists can drive from the N3 west onto the M13 west and from the M13 east onto the N3 east), before passing through

Pinetown Pinetown is a large area that is part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, inland from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Pinetown is situated 16 km west of Durban at an elevation of 1,000 to 1,300 feet (305 to 395 m). History Pin ...

. After Pinetown, the route goes up Fields Hill, a 3 km 1:15 gradient (this section is notorious for heavy vehicle accidents that can close an entire carriageway of the road). The route then enters the

Upper Highway Area The Upper Highway Area is a region west of the city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It includes the main suburbs of Kloof and Hillcrest, as well as the smaller areas of Assagay, Botha's Hill, Forest Hills, Gillitts, Waterfall and Win ...

, passing through

Kloof Kloof is a leafy upper-class town, that includes a smaller area called Everton, located approximately 26 km north-west of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Once an independent municipality, it now forms part of greater Durban area ...

and

Gillitts Gillitts is a town in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. Overview It is about inland from the Durban city centre at an elevation of 1800 feet (600 m ASL). Although Durban is semi-tropical and very humid, Gillitts is above the humidity a ...

, before the R103 diverges, providing access to Hillcrest. The route then passes south of Hillcrest and through

before merging with the N3 freeway (westbound only), where it ends. The route is roughly 35 km long.

Significance

The M13 is the main thoroughfare to Durban for residents of the nearby towns of Westville, Pinetown, Kloof, Gillitts and Hillcrest. The M13 between the Paradise Valley interchange and its termination at the N3 used to be part of the N3 route until 1986, when the N3 was re-routed to pass south of Pinetown, Westmead and Winston Park. The M13 remains an alternative route to the N3, and is commonly used by motorists wishing to avoid the Mariannhill Toll Plaza, located on the N3 outside Westmead.

References

{{Reflist Highways in South Africa Metropolitan Routes in Durban