Umzinto

Umzinto is a town, located in the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, approximately 67 kilometres (42 mi) south-west of Durban. It was a sugarcane growing area and the town was set up as the centre for a sugar mill.

Although Umzinto has historically been predominantly populated by Indians, it has become a melting pot of cultures and races with a significant number of Black and Coloured residents residing here too.

Etymology
"Umzinto" is said to be derived from the Zulu "umenzi wezinto", meaning "the kraal [or place] of accomplishment".

According to an urban legend, the town's name derived from a visit by two men, one of whom was named Um. On encountering a stream, the men decided to cross it, but Um did not notice the crocodile lurking beneath the surface. Subsequently, Um was attacked by the crocodile, and bitten in half. "Um's in two!" his friend exclaimed. The legend has been ascribed to Jonathan Swift but Swift died in 1745, decades before the British encountered the region.

History
The first public company in Natal was established at Umzinto on the 6 July 1846. The sugar cane fields on the outskirts of Umzinto are owned and run by Crookes Brothers, a JSE listed company. Umzinto was named the last town in Durban in 1963.

Geography
Umzinto lies just inland from the coastal village of Park Rynie, in hilly countryside and to the north of the uMzinto River, after which it is named. The nearest settlements to Umzinto include Park Rynie (8 km), Amandawe (10 km), Scottburgh (12 km), Pennington (16 km) and Amahlongwa (16 km).

Economy
Today, Umzinto has become a small yet bustling town that serves as a service centre to the surrounding rural communities. Typical of many small South African towns, Umzinto has a singular main road, Nelson Mandela Road, that forms the backbone of the town lined by a number of national and local retailers and businesses.

Umzinto was once the home of three large textile mills, namely Alitex, Bally Spinning Mills and MYM Textiles that used to export abroad. Today only one survives and is not as productive as it used to be. Consequently, this has affected the economy of Umzinto negatively.

Sport
Unofficially, Umzinto was at one time the capital of Alexandra County, a district that also includes the areas and suburbs surrounding the towns of Scottburgh, Umkomaas, and Sezela-Pennington. Umzinto hosted two class-A cricket matches at the Alexandra Memorial Ground, one on 2 March 1974, when Natal B hosted Griqualand West in the Currie Cup Section B, and again on 19 March 1977, when Natal B faced Border in the same contest.

Law and government
The municipality has not maintained the roads and currently the roads are in a deplorable condition. In 1995, low cost housing was developed on the outskirts called Gandhi Nagar.

Education
Schools: Umzintovale Primary School, Umzinto Secondary School, Umzinto Islamic School, St Patrick's Primary School, Roseville Secondary School, St Annes Primary School

Umzinto also houses a Darul-Uloom called Madrassa Da'watul Haq that has produced many graduates who have memorised the entire Quraan.

Halls: Sanathan Hall, Islamic Cultural Centre, Umzinto Town Hall

Media
Radio Station : Life FM KZN

Railways
Until halfway through the 1980s, Umzinto was the southern terminus of the Umzinto - Donnybrook narrow gauge railway and had transshipment facilities to a Cape gauge branch line to Kelso, along the railway to Johannesburg

Road
Nelson Mandela Road (P197-3) is the north–south main road connecting Umzinto with Esperanza and Amandawe that passes through the Umzinto CBD and provides access to the R612, while the R612 is an east–west regional route connecting Park Rynie with Ixopo that by-passes Umzinto to the south and provides access to the N2 freeway (to Durban and Port Shepstone) by-passing Umzinto to the east. Umzinto can also be accessed by turning off the R612 onto Park Rynie Road from the south-east.

Notable residents

 * Bavelile Hlongwa (1981–2019), South African politician and chemical engineer.
 * Loganathan Peter Govender (Colonel) The SAPS National Programme Manager for Gender-Based Violence and Victim Empowerment at the National Office and former Crime Prevention Commander at SAPS Umzinto and received numerous awards and accolades for Community Policing.
 * Sadanund Ramjee Dhaja (captain) a police officer who served with decorum and integrity and received accolades for highest arrests in the prevention of crime (1997).