Mooi River ( af, Mooirivier) is a small town situated at 1,389m above sea level and 160km from the coast in

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 ...

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 ...

. The first European settlement in the area was at Mooi River Drift in 1852. This was formally named Weston in 1866 after the first Governor of

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

, Martin West.

History

In 1879, an Irishman named Alexander Lawrence purchased the farm "Grantleigh" upstream from Weston, on the banks of the Mooi River. "Mooirivier" is

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

for "pretty river". In 1884, the railway line from Durban, on the coast, to Johannesburg, in the interior, reached the area and was built across Alexander Lawrence's land. He subsequently laid out and establish the village of Lawrenceville on his farm "Grantleigh" and so is known as "The Father of Mooi River". In 1921, the village was renamed Mooi River when it was declared a town.

Geography

It lies on the N3 national road and rail routes between

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

and

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 ...

. Although the railway station is no longer used for passengers, goods are still being handled. There is a

toll plaza A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...

located on the N3 at Mooi River.

Education

Six schools are serving the Mooi River municipal area with numerous others further from town that serve the traditional farm labourer communities. The six main schools are: * Treverton Preparatory School and College, a private school of about 600 students. In the hills of the small game park within Treverton there lie some trenches used in the Boer wars. From these the Boers observed English movements at Weston - their remount depot. *

Weston Agricultural College Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * ...

, a public

agricultural school Agricultural education is the teaching of agriculture, natural resources, and land management. At higher levels, agricultural education is primarily undertaken to prepare students for employment in the agricultural sector. Classes taught in an ...

of good reputation. There is great rugby rivalry between them and Treverton. * Mooi River Primary in the centre of town. * Ai Kajee Primary. * Bruntville Primary serving the Bruntville area * Emnyezaneni Secondary school serving the Bruntville area

Economy

The urban economy of the area is currently based primarily on retail entrepreneurship, tourism and supporting the local agricultural community. Previously, the backbone of the urban economy had been Mooi River Textiles which finally closed in 2002 after years of downsizing. The decline of the textile industry is being reversed however with large foreign investment from the Far-East. The rural economy is based on agriculture and tourism. The main farming categories are dairy and equine. Local farmers are supported by the Mooi River Farmers' Association.

Tourism

Mooi River forms an important part of the Midlands Meander tourism route.Info at midlandsmeander.co.za
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Notable people

Candice Swanepoel Candice Susan Swanepoel (; ; born 20 October 1988) is a South African model and philanthropist. She is known for her work with Victoria's Secret. She became a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2010. In 2016, she was listed 8th on the ''Forbes'' top-ea ...

– supermodel best known for her work with Victoria's Secret. In 2012, she came in 10th on the Forbes top-earning models list. *

Sun-El Musician Sanele Tresure Sithole (born 28 March 1989), known professionally as Sun-El Musician, is a South African disc jockey, music producer, and songwriter. Born and raised in Mooi River. He attended University of KwaZulu-Natal but dropped out to purs ...

– whose real name is Sanele Sithole, was born in the small town of Mooi River in the

Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal The KwaZulu-Natal midlands is an inland area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa that starts from Pietermaritzburg and ends before the Drakensberg mountain range. Area There are several small towns located in the midlands, including: Pietermaritzbu ...

. A music producer and DJ. Akanamali is the first single on his EP, Sun-El is currently based in the heart of Johannesburg where his music career has progressed. *

Kwazi Mshengu Kwazikwenkosi Innocent Mshengu (born 10 November 1984) is a South African lawyer and African National Congress politician who served as the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education in KwaZulu-Natal until 11 August 2022 when he was repl ...

–

MEC for Education, member of the

KwaZulu-Natal Legislature The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature is the primary legislative body of the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. It is unicameral in its composition and elects the premier and the provincial cabinet from among the leading party or coalition members i ...

: 2019-present *

Christopher Pappas (South African politician) Christopher John Pappas (born 26 August 1991) is a South African politician who is the mayor of the uMngeni Local Municipality. A member of the Democratic Alliance, he has been the party's deputy provincial leader since 2021. Pappas served as a ...

– member of the

: 2019-present * Lars Georg Svensson –

cardiac surgeon Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to cor ...

, chairman of the heart and vascular institute at

Cleveland Clinic Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit American academic medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio. Owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an Ohio nonprofit corporation established in 1921, it runs a 170-acre (69 ha) campus in Cleveland, ...

, US. * Vusi Khanyile – businessman, investor and founding Chairman of Thebe Investment Holdings

References

External links

{{Umgungundlovu District Municipality Populated places in the Mpofana Local Municipality