Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal

Port Shepstone is a large coastal town situated on the mouth of the Mzimkhulu River, the largest river on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

The town lies halfway between Hibberdene and Margate and is positioned 124 km south-west of Durban. It serves as the educational, administrative, industrial, and commercial centre for southern Natal.

Port Shepstone is located at the Marburg Interchange (Exit 45), where the N2 National Route, R61 Provincial Route, and R102 Regional Route intersect. Here, the N2 coming southward from Durban branches west toward Kokstad, while the R102 splits off northeast along the coast towards Melville and Hibberdene. The R61 also originates in Marburg, heading south towards Margate and Port Edward.

Port Shepstone also lies at the northern end of the R620 Regional Route (Marine Drive), which runs south along the coast through Shelly Beach, Uvongo, Margate, Ramsgate, and Southbroom.

Port Shepstone is the main town and administrative centre/seat of both the Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality and the Ugu District Municipality.

History

Port Shepstone was founded in 1867 when marble was discovered near the Mzimkhulu River mouth and is named after Sir Theophilus Shepstone of the Natal government of the 1880s. 

William Bazley began building a harbour, and the work was later taken over by William Barnes Kinsey, who was the engineer in charge of building Port Shepstone harbour in 1898. The first coaster entered the harbour on May 8, 1880.

In 1882, a party of 246 Norwegian immigrants settled in the town and subsequently began to play a major role in the area’s development. Post the opening of the railway to Durban in 1901, the harbour fell into disuse, and eventually the river silted up again, making it impossible to use. The 27,000-candela lighthouse still stands at the mouth of the Mzimkulu River.

Suburban areas

The 2011 census divided Port Shepstone into 14 sub-places, including: