What Reasons Influenced The Location Of Umlazi?

Umlazi, south of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, is one of South Africa’s largest townships and forms an important part of the eThekwini metropolitan area. Understanding what reasons influenced the location of Umlazi requires looking at its geography, its relationship with Durban, and the planning policies of the apartheid era that shaped where Black residential areas were established.

Geographic Setting and Proximity to Durban

A major reason that influenced the location of Umlazi is its physical position in relation to Durban. Umlazi lies about 17–20 km south-west of central Durban, within the eThekwini Municipality, and is recognised as one of its main townships, alongside areas like KwaMashu and Inanda. The official tourism and information portal for eThekwini notes Umlazi as a key township within the southern part of the metro, closely tied to Durban’s urban system and economy (eThekwini Municipality – Durban Tourism).

This proximity to Durban played a central role in its establishment:

• It allowed the apartheid state to house a large Black African labour force near, but not inside, the historically white commercial and industrial hub of Durban.
• The area’s position provided relatively easy commuter access to Durban’s central business district, harbour, and industrial zones along the south coast corridor.

The South African history-focused site South African History Online explains that Umlazi developed as a township to accommodate Black African residents within commuting distance of Durban’s expanding economy and industrial employment opportunities, especially from the mid-20th century onwards (South African History Online – Umlazi).

Apartheid Urban Planning and Segregation Policies

Another key factor in what reasons influenced the location of Umlazi was the apartheid government’s segregationist planning. Under the Group Areas Act and related policies, cities like Durban were methodically zoned along racial lines. Black African communities were generally pushed to peripheral locations, separated from white residential and commercial cores.

According to South African History Online, Umlazi’s development as a Black township dates to the 1960s, when it was planned and administered under the KwaZulu homeland and the central apartheid state (South African History Online – Umlazi Township). The choice of this specific site south-west of Durban was driven by several policy objectives:

• Physical separation: Locating the township away from central Durban and established white neighbourhoods while still close enough for daily labour migration.
• Administrative control: Placing Umlazi within territory earmarked for KwaZulu administration, which allowed the apartheid state to offload responsibility for Black urban residents to a nominally “self-governing” homeland.
• Consolidation of Black residential areas: Umlazi became one of the largest consolidated Black townships near Durban rather than having smaller dispersed settlements within the city.

These policies reflected a broader national pattern in which townships were deliberately sited on urban fringes, often separated by buffer zones such as industrial belts, open land, or major transport corridors.

Access to Transport Routes and Employment

Transport and access to work were also important in determining what reasons influenced the location of Umlazi. The area selected for Umlazi lies close to key road and rail routes linking Durban with the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal.

The eThekwini transport network information, summarised on municipal and travel resources, highlights that Umlazi is connected to Durban by major roads, including the N2 freeway corridor and routes crossing the Umlaas and Umlazi areas, making commuting to central and southern Durban industrial zones feasible (Visit Durban – Getting Around). This connectivity supports:

• Access to port-related jobs in and around Durban Harbour.
• Access to manufacturing and industrial employment in south Durban, an area with a long history of refineries, factories, and logistics operations.
• Public transport viability, with taxi and bus routes linking the township to central Durban and surrounding areas.

From an apartheid planning perspective, this made Umlazi an efficient location to house workers who could be transported relatively easily to sites of employment while still being spatially removed from white residential suburbs.

Availability of Land on the Urban Periphery

Land availability on Durban’s southern and south-western fringe further shaped why Umlazi was located where it is today. During the period of rapid urban growth in the mid-20th century, land closer to central Durban was already heavily occupied by established suburbs, commercial nodes, and industrial areas.

Peripheral land to the south-west offered:

• Large tracts suitable for high-density township housing, including formal housing schemes and, later, informal settlement expansion.
• Lower costs and fewer property conflicts compared to trying to reconfigure more central areas designated for white or Indian communities under apartheid zoning.
• Space for future expansion as Durban’s Black population grew and demand for housing increased.

Umlazi’s present form – with multiple sections and extensive residential areas – reflects how this outward peripheral land was progressively filled, turning it into one of the largest townships in the country. South African History Online identifies Umlazi as “one of the largest townships in South Africa,” underlining the scale of settlement possible in this location (South African History Online – Umlazi Township).

Integration into the eThekwini Metro

Post-1994, Umlazi’s location within the broader eThekwini metropolitan area became an asset for integrated urban planning. The former apartheid-influenced siting now plays a role in modern strategies for inclusive development:

• The eThekwini Municipality recognises Umlazi as a key urban node within the metro, with ongoing efforts to improve services, infrastructure, and economic opportunities (eThekwini Municipality – Official Site).
• Its location close to Durban’s southern transport and industrial corridors means it remains strategically placed for economic integration, small business growth, and tourism-related initiatives such as township tours promoted through Durban Tourism (Durban Tourism – Township Experiences).

While these developments are contemporary, they stem from the original geographic and economic logic that led to Umlazi being placed where it is.

Historical and Cultural Context of the Site

Historical narratives and local oral traditions add another dimension to what reasons influenced the location of Umlazi. The area’s name is associated with the Umlazi River and a local legend: the Zulu word “umlazi” is often linked to a story that King Shaka tasted the river’s water and declared it tasted like sour milk. Although details vary in retellings, this reflects that the area had local significance prior to its formal designation as a township (South African History Online – Umlazi).

The broader region south of Durban was historically inhabited by Zulu-speaking communities and formed part of the territories later incorporated into the KwaZulu homeland. This pre-existing settlement pattern influenced why a large Black township was sited in this vicinity: it extended and formalised a region already associated with African occupation and governance, aligning with apartheid’s homeland and group area planning.

Conclusion: What Reasons Influenced The Location Of Umlazi?

When considering what reasons influenced the location of Umlazi, several interconnected factors emerge:

• Proximity to Durban’s economic core, allowing access to jobs while maintaining racial separation.
• Apartheid-era segregation and homeland policies, which deliberately placed Black African townships on the urban periphery and within KwaZulu-administered areas.
• Access to major transport routes, enabling commuting between Umlazi and industrial or commercial zones in Durban.
• Availability of large peripheral land parcels, which allowed for high-density housing and later expansion.
• Existing regional and cultural context, with the area linked historically to Zulu communities and the Umlazi River.

Together, these reasons explain why Umlazi developed where it did and why it has grown into a major township within the eThekwini Municipality. Understanding these historical and spatial influences helps make sense of Umlazi’s current role in Durban’s urban landscape and the ongoing efforts to integrate it more fully into the social and economic life of the city.