Durban, which is also a port city, is the busiest port in Africa. You can take a ride on a rickshaw, a distinctive Durban experience, with the drivers decorated in ornate headdresses. At the very heart of Durban is the 'golden mile', a four kilometer stretch of beaches, promenades, swimming pools and restaurants. The water is warmed by the Aghulas current and even during winter, the water temperature averages at 15°C making it ideal for year-round swimming.
UShaka Marine World is Africa's largest Marine-themed park. Within the park is one of the five largest aquariums in the world.
Durban hosted the Preliminary Draw on 25 November 2007. Durban is also a gateway to the Zulu Kingdom, where tourists can experience the intensity of Zulu culture. The city is also a good base from which to explore two UNESCO World Heritage sites. The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park has various landforms such as coral reefs, coastal dunes, lake systems, swamps, and reed and papyrus wetlands. The Ukahlamba/Drakensberg National Park has dramatic blue mountains and the largest concentration of rock paintings south of the Sahara.
History
The history of the area extends to hundred years dating on rock art found in caves in the uKhahlamba/ Drakensberg National Park. The San lived in these mountains for four millenniums and they documented their history in rock art. This discovery has since led to the inclusion of the uKhahlamba/ Drakensberg National Park as a UNESCO World Heritage site
The Zulu nation originally migrated south from the Great Lakes region as part of the Nguni migration. They settled in the area now known as KwaZulu-Natal and many great leaders, including Shaka, have led the Zulu nation into historically revered battles.
On 25 December 1497, a Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama anchored in a natural lagoon which would become the site of present-day Durban. He thought the lagoon was a river and named it Rio de Natal (Christmas River), but it was later corrected and changed to Port Natal. Port Natal became Durban on 23 June 1835, in honour of the Cape Governor, Sir Benjamin D'Urban.
Football
Durban is home to two Premier Soccer League clubs, Golden Arrows and Maritzburg United.
The city is said to have hosted South Africa's first football league in 1882, which comprised four clubs: Pietermaritzburg County, Natal Wasps, Durban Alpha and Umgeni Stars.
Durban has produced numerous South African championship-winning sides but in recent years its teams have struggled to preserve their top flight statuses. Zulu Royals were the first winners of the National Professional Soccer League in 1971.
After the major leagues unified, Durban Bush Bucks and Manning Rangers both won the championship. Durban City and Durban United, which are now both defunct, were frequent league and cup winners in the National Football League.
Durban is the birthplace of the former Zimbabwe international goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, who, while at Liverpool, added his name to a rare list of Africans who have played for teams which won the European Cup. The city has also produced talented football players such as Sibusiso Zuma, Siyabonga Nomvete and Delron Buckley.
Durban hosted group, quarter-final and semi-final games in the 1996 CAF Africa Cup of Nations. The city also hosted South Africa's game against England in 2003, which helped launch the country's bid for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. England won the encounter 2-1.
Durban Stadium
The newly-built Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban will host one of the semi-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. The ground epitomises the architectural innovation on display in South Africa and takes its design inspiration from the South African flag, with its grand arch representing the unity of this sport-loving nation. The two legs of the arch on the southern side of the stadium come together to form a single footing on the northern side, symbolising the new unity of a once-divided country.
The 70,000-seater has been specifically designed as a multi-purpose venue and an amphitheatre complete with a cable car which ascends to a viewing platform at the top of the expansive 350m arch, a staggering 106m above the pitch. From this vantage point, visitors can experience spectacular panoramic views of the nearby shoreline and the city. The roof is attached to the arch by 95mm-diameter steel cables. Each seat of the stadium is spacious and comfortable, providing a clear line of sight to the pitch.
It is a world-class and multifunctional arena located in the heart of the Kings Park Sporting Precinct. Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium will be the jewel in the crown of the Kings Park Sporting precinct. The entire area will feature additional sporting arenas and facilities as well as restaurants, shops, play areas for children and a pedestrian walkway linking the stadium complex to the beach.
The stadium was built on the site of the old Kings Park Stadium. Moses Mabhida, the ground's namesake, was born in Thornville near Pietermaritzburg on 14 October 1923 into a poor family who were later forced off their land. In 1963, Mabhida was asked by Oliver Tambo while working in Prague rallying support from the World Federation of Trade Unions, to come back to Africa to develop the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). He underwent military training and became the chief political instructor of new military recruits. He later served as the commander of MK.
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