Umlazi is a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

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, located south-west of

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 ...

. Organisationally and administratively it forms part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and its South Municipal Planning Region. It is the fourth largest township in South Africa, after

Soweto Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...

, Tembisa and Katlehong. Umlazi is the only township in the country that has its own registration plate, which is NUZ. It is divided into 26 sections, A through to Z, with the exception of I, O and X, but with an addition of AA, BB and CC.

Etymology

According to legend, the name Umlazi comes from "umlaza", the Zulu word for the sour acid produced from fermented or sour milk. It is believed that when King Shaka was passing through the area, he refused to drink from a local river claiming it had the taste of "umlaza". The area was called Umlazi after this incident.

Geography

Umlazi is situated on a series of undulating hills at an average elevation of 101 metres above sea level between the uMlaza River to the north and the uMbokodweni River to the south. Another river running through Umlazi is the Siphingo River which also runs towards the south of the township. Umlazi is located approximately 15 km south-east of

and is bordered by Chatsworth to the north, the city of Durban to the north-east (excluding Isipingo and Prospecton), the defunct

Durban International Airport Durban International Airport (formerly Louis Botha Airport) was the international airport of Durban from 1951 until 2010, when it was replaced by King Shaka International Airport, to the north. The airport is co-located with AFB Durban. Hist ...

and

Isipingo Isipingo is a town situated south of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and currently forms part of eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. The town is named after the Siphingo River, which in turn is thought to be named (in the Zulu language) f ...

to the east, Malukazi to the south-east, eZimbokodweni and Golokodo to the south and Esidweni, Inwabi and Ehlanzeni to the east.

Infrastructure

Umlazi, like many townships in the urban areas of

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

, and

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 ...

, is witnessing increased private and government investments, as seen in the construction of new shopping complexes,

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

and

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

schools,

universities of technology An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

and libraries. The new educational infrastructure is particularly , as an affordable, easily accessible quality secondary education is valuable for many children in Umlazi, particularly with regards to their search for employment following school. Most young residents do not attend tertiary institutions due to their family's limited financial resources. There are now three shopping malls in Umlazi, the Mega-Philani Shopping Centre, Kwa-Mnyandu Shopping Centre and Umlazi Mega City Mall which is located just off the freeway that exits to Umlazi. The recently built KwaMnyandu Shopping Centre opened its doors on 5 June 2014. Almost all sections in Umlazi have a clinic and a police station. The

King Zwelithini Stadium King Zwelithini Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Umlazi, a township south-west of Durban, South Africa. It is currently used mostly for football matches and was initially set to be utilized as a training field for teams participating in the ...

, which is located on the Griffiths Mxenge Highway, has been revamped for the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

it is home to AmaZulu FC football club that is based in and around Umlazi.

Education

Umlazi has two FET Colleges, Umlazi Coastal College V and BB Campuses, which are the equivalent of American Community Colleges, and a university, Mangosuthu University of Technology. There are schools that produce 100% Matric (Grade 12) pass rate, including Ogwini Comprehensive Technical High School Umlazi Comprehensive Technical High School (ComTech), Menzi High School, Velabahleke High School, Zwelibanzi High School and Qhilika High School. About 30% of homes in Umlazi are informal settlements (tin and wooden shacks). Most of these informal settlements have been demolished and replaced with brand new homes and roads that are part of the Residential Development Project (RDP).

Transport

Roads

Umlazi is served by its main artery road, the M30 ''Griffiths Mxenge Highway'' (previously ''Mangosuthu Highway'') which begins at the intersection with the R102 ''South Coast Road'' near Umlazi Mega City and ends at the intersection with the R603 ''Umbumbulu Road'' in uMbumbulu. The Umlazi area is also served by a number of other arterial routes such as the N2, M4 and R102. The N2 Outer Ring Road which bypasses the township to the east and links Umlazi to KwaDukuza in the north-east and Amanzimtoti and

Port Shepstone Port Shepstone is a large town situated on the mouth of the Mzimkhulu River, the largest river on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast of South Africa. It is located halfway between Hibberdene and Margate and is positioned 120 km south of Durban. ...

in the south-west. Access to Umlazi from the N2 can be obtained through the R102 ''South Coast Road'' interchange (Exit 152) for southbound motorists and the R102 ''Prospecton Road'' interchange (Exit 149) in Prospecton for northbound motorists. The R102 ''South Coast Road'' is a regional route that bypasses Umlazi to the east and links the township to

in the north-east and Reunion,

and Prospecton, Amanzimtoti and Kingsburgh in the south-east. The M4 ''Inkosi Albert Luthuli Freeway'' (previously ''Southern Freeway'') is a metropolitan highway that begins at the interchange with the N2 and R102 in the Reunion area (towards the east of the Umlazi) and links the township directly to Durban's city centre in the north-east. The M35 ''Sipho Mkhize Drive'' is a metropolitan route that passes through a very small section of Umlazi in the Umlazi V and Z sections in the south of the township and links this part of Umlazi to

Lotus Park Lotus may refer to: Plants *Lotus (plant), various botanical taxa commonly known as lotus, particularly: ** ''Lotus'' (genus), a genus of terrestrial plants in the family Fabaceae **Lotus flower, a symbolically important aquatic Asian plant also ...

in the south-east and

Folweni Folweni is a small middle income town located south of Durban in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Sections Folweni is divided into three sections namely; *A-section *B-section *C-section History The original population of Fol ...

to the south-west.

Notable people

Samke Makhoba Samkelisiwe "Samke" Makhoba (born 25 July) is a South African actor who has a leading role in two series of MTV Shuga when it was set in South Africa. Life Samke Makhoba was born in Pinetown. She first chose to study science at the University o ...

, Actress *

Khanyi Dhlomo Khanyi Dhlomo (born 17 December 1972) is a South African journalist and magazine editor. Early life Dhlomo was born in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal, the daughter of Oscar Dhlomo She went to school at Durban Girls' College, in Durban, while there she ...

Griffiths Mxenge Griffiths Mlungisi Mxenge (27 February 1935 – 19 November 1981) was born in KwaRayi, a rural settlement outside of King Williams Town, Eastern Cape. He was a civil rights lawyer, a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and a South Af ...

(anti-apartheid activist) * Victoria Mxenge (anti-apartheid activist) *

Senzo Meyiwa Senzo Robert Meyiwa (24 January 1984 – 26 October 2014) was a South African professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and captain for both Orlando Pirates in the Premier Soccer League, and the South Africa national team. He was sho ...

(Soccer player) *

Baby Cele Baby Cele - Maloka (born 22 March 1972) is a South African actress born in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal. Career Cele gained recognition for her role as Kaltego Rathebe, a character she portrayed for eight years on the now defunct e.tv youth tel ...

(Actress) *

Khaya Mthethwa Khaya Mthethwa (born 25 November 1987) is a South African singer-songwriter, musician, composer, arranger, and a multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for winning the 8th season of TV singing competition ''Idols South Africa'', the first blac ...

(Singer & Pastor) * Brilliant Khuzwayo (Soccer player) * Big Nuz (Music group) * Zanele Muholi (Artist and visual activist) * Black Coffee *

Okmalumkoolkat Smiso Zwane (born Smiso Brian Mkhasibe; 27 July 1983), commonly known by his stage name Okmalumkoolkat (sometimes stylized as OkMalumKoolKat) is a South African rapper and half of the rap/electronic duo Dirty Paraffin from Umlazi Township in Dur ...

(Musician & producer) *

Sifiso Mzobe Sifiso Mzobe is a South African author. Biography Mzobe was born and raised in the Durban township of Umlazi. He attended St Francis College in Mariannhill, then studied Journalism at Damelin Business Campus in Durban. He has worked for commu ...

(Author) *

Siyabonga Shibe Siyabonga Melongisi Shibe (born February 23, 1978) is a South African actor from Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal. Early life Shibe was born and raised in Umlazi, Kwazulu-Natal. He attended Ganges Secondary School, where his teachers encouraged him to p ...

(Actor) *

Linda Sikhakhane Linda Sikhakhane (born 14 June 1992) is a South African saxophonist and composer born in Umlazi, Durban. His love for music, especially Jazz, was triggered at an early age and this saw him attending music classes under the tutelage of Dr Brian T ...

(Saxophonist and composer) *

(Author) *

Linda Sokhulu Linda Sokhulu is a South African actress. In 2014, she received best actress nomination at the 10th Africa Movie Academy Awards. Career Starting in 2004, Sokhulu played "Cleo Khuzwayo" in '' Generations''. In 2013, Sokhulu starred in her fir ...

(Actress) *

Japhet Zwane Japhet Phumlani Zwane (born 10 January 1974) is a South African former footballer who played as a left winger. Career Club On 20 February 2003, Rostselmash Rostselmash (russian: Ростсельмаш) is a Russian agricultural equipment com ...

(Soccer player) *

Andile Khumalo Andile Khumalo (born 12 May 1978) is a South African composer and a music lecturer at the University of Witwatersrand. In 2013, he completed his Doctor of Musical Arts at Columbia University under the supervision of George Lewis. There he also stu ...

(Composer and a music lecturer) *

Promise Mthembu Sethembiso Promise Mthembu (born 1975) is a South African human rights activist and researcher, best known for her work on HIV/AIDS and women's rights. One of the first women in South Africa to publicly share that she was living with HIV, Mthembu ...

(HIV/AIDS activist)

References

External links

Umlazi OnlineBBC Radio 5 Live's Umlazi projectA short documentary following Lucas back to his home town in Umlazi Township
{{Authority control Townships in KwaZulu-Natal Suburbs of Durban