Phoenix is a South African town about 25 kilometres (15 mi) northwest of
Durban
Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Situated on the east coast of South ...
Central, in
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. It was established as a town by the
apartheid
Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...
government in 1979, but it has a long history of Indian occupation. It is associated with the
Phoenix Settlement, built by
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...
.
In 2021,
riots
A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people.
Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...
broke out in
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...
after the imprisonment of former president
Jacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a for ...
. The riots also occurred in Phoenix and armed citizen militias were formed. There were violent clashes between the communities and rioters from nearby settlements like
Inanda, which caused the deaths of 36 people
and increased racial tensions between Indian and black communities in the area.
The area is filled with the majority indian/asian people also referred to as thumbies by locals.
History
The township was founded initially as a sugarcane estate. After the passing of the
Group Areas Act, a law which designated specific regions for occupation by specific races, Phoenix became an Indian township. Sections were initially labelled as precincts or units, and then later renamed with proper street addresses.
2021 KZN riots
Following the imprisonment of former president
Jacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a for ...
for
contempt of court, riots
broke out in KwaZulu-Natal on July 9, 2021. Phoenix was among the towns affected. Shops were looted and property was vandalised. Due to a lack of police response during the riots, citizen militias formed to patrol the town and set up roadblocks to prevent rioters from entering the area and looters from absconding with stolen goods.
Physical altercations then occurred between the Phoenix community and interlopers from the nearby predominantly black community of
Inanda. Police Minister
Bheki Cele claimed that 20 deaths occurred in Phoenix as a result of such clashes.
The riots exacerbated racial tensions between the Indian and black communities in the area, and led to accusations of racism at the Indian community by the black community.
Fake reports of further violence and killings sprung up on social networks in the aftermath. Following the unrest, supporters of Zuma marched to protest the Phoenix killings.
Places in Phoenix
Until the early 1990s, Phoenix was divided into 'units' by the local government. However, many local people still refer to areas by their unit numbers.
The Phoenix area in Durban, South Africa, has a number of religious establishments, including mosques, temples, and churches. Magmore Place and Corngrove Road are the main access routes to the following establishments & public facilities such as the Stanmore Library, Grove End Clinic, Stanmore Swimming Pool, and Mahatma Park. During the July 2021 riots, Magmore Place and Corngrove Road were illegally blocked off, preventing black people from accessing the area. This demonstration of segregation caused racial tension and division in the community, with residents of other roads also unable to access public facilities.
Media and communication
Local news is distributed via regional newspapers such as the Rising Sun, the Post and Phoenix Tabloid, Daily News & Mercury, and Sunday times In terms of telecommunications and Internet access, 99% of Phoenix is covered by either wireless internet connection such as
fibre optics,
5G,
4G,
LTE,
UMTS
The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a 3G mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard. UMTS uses Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, wideband code-division multiple access (W-CDMA) radio access technolog ...
,
EDGE, and
HSDPA, or has access to a landline/
ADSL. The majority of ADSL users in Phoenix use
Telkomsa as their Internet service provider.
There are also many local
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
pages that are used to relay news and crime related incidents, such as the Grove End & Stanmore page.
Health and education
Public education in the Phoenix area is provided by various primary and secondary schools, one technikon and various FET colleges. There is one major government hospital (Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital), and one private hospital (Life Mount Edgecombe Hospital). Various clinics are also to be found, e. g. Grove End Clinic.
* palmcroft primary school (unit 8)
Shopping centres
Phoenix Plaza, Gem City, Starwood Mall, The Acropolis Mall and Top Hat Supermarket, Checksave, Check Mart and multiple spaza shops are some of the few shopping centres that can be found in Phoenix's CBD. These centres cater to various needs from top brand shops to local products.
Phoenix Plaza
The Phoenix Plaza is a large shopping mall in the Phoenix area of Durban, South Africa. It is the largest shopping mall in the north of Durban and serves a catchment area of over 1 million people. The mall was opened in 1993 and has since been expanded and renovated on several occasions.
The Phoenix Plaza has a wide range of stores, including major department stores, fashion retailers, restaurants, and entertainment options. There is also a large food court with a variety of cuisines to choose from.
In 2022, the Phoenix Plaza underwent a major refurbishment. This included the addition of new stores and restaurants, as well as the renovation of existing stores and common areas. The mall also received a new logo and branding.
Transport
Three main means of public transport are available: privately-owned buses, taxis (including
Uber
Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...
&
Taxify), and the rail system . Phoenix has its own railway station which connects to many towns in the Greater Durban region such as
Mount Edgecombe
Mount Edgecombe or Mt Edgecombe is a town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, situated just north of Durban, which forms part of eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, eThekwini, the Greater Durban Metropolitan area. Much of the suburb is cordoned off a ...
,
Verulam,
Tongaat (now oThongathi) and
Stanger (now KwaDukuza). The
King Shaka International Airport is a short drive away, which provides various outlets. Totaling 175 at its peak in the mid-90s, Phoenix had one of the largest numbers of privately owned buses in South Africa. The two bus services that contributed to the transport landscape of the area were Mayville Coach Lines and Springfield Safari Tours (SOS).
The main route intersecting Phoenix is the
M26 Phoenix Highway, connecting the township with Mount Edgecombe to the east. Bordering to the east, the
R102 runs northwards from
Durban
Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Situated on the east coast of South ...
to Verulam and provides access to the
M41 freeway (to
uMhlanga). Bordering to the south-west, the
M25 Curnick Ndlovu Highway runs north-westwards from Durban to
Inanda. Apart from the metropolitan and regional routes, Phoenix is also served by JG Champion Drive connecting eastwards to the
Cornubia Industrial and Business Estate.
Prior to December 1st 2023, vehicle registration plates in Phoenix started with "ZN" - "N" for Natal & "Z" for (Kwa)Zulu
Industrial sector
Phoenix also hosts a sizeable developing
industrial area with big companies, such as the beverage producer
SABMiller. Tradeport Distribution, which is the largest distribution company in
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...
, is also located in this industrial park.
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
Former Indian townships in South Africa
Townships in KwaZulu-Natal