Pinetown

Pinetown

Pinetown is an industrial town just inland from Durban in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. It was established in 1850 around the Wayside Hotel, which was built the year before along the main wagon route between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. It was named after the governor of Natal, Sir Benjamin Pine. The British built a concentration camp here during the Second Boer War to house Boer women and children.

Pinetown is now part of the larger eThekwini Municipality. The area from Cowies Hill in the east to Mariannhill in the west is commonly referred to as the Pinetown area, althoughPinetown strictly extends from Caversham Glen to Manors.

Pinetown has the majority of the country’s leading chain stores, whilst a rich selection of speciality shops are also on offer. In the Pinetown area, you could almost eat out at a different restaurant every night, with a large variety of styles to choose from. Nowadays Pinetown is a busy centre, regarded as a predominantly light industrial area and is also a sought after residential suburb.

Several schools, including the public Pinetown Boys' High School and Pinetown Girls' High School, exist in the area, not neglecting several primary schools such as Benjamin Pine Primary School, Sarnia Primary School and Ashley Primary School. The only Afrikaans-medium school in the area is Gelofte Skool, meaning 'promise school'.

Pinetown Cricket Club, established in 1873, is believed to be the oldest in KwaZulu-Natal and among the oldest still in existence in South Africa. The club, originally located in central Pinetown at the current Civic Centre location, has now moved to Lahee Park. Under the chairmanship of then Pinetown mayor, Vernon Hall, with facilities at their peak, Lahee Park hosted ten first class games between 1974 and 1979. Former internationals Norman Crookes (twice selected for the Springbok squad) and Tertius Bosch represented the club.