Shakaskraal is a town in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa, situated along the R102 Regional Route and on the northern banks of the uMhlali River, surrounded by the hilly sugarcane plantations of the Dolphin Coast, which is the Greater Ballito area.
The town is located approximately 3 km north of Umhlali, 53 km north-east of Durban, and 10 km inland of Tinley Manor Beach. It is also centrally located to KwaDukuza (formerly known as Stanger) and Ballito, as it is 12 km north of Ballito and 15 km south-west of KwaDukuza.
Shakaskraal falls within the KwaDukuza Local Municipality, which is part of the iLembe District Municipality.
The town is dominated by local businesses and informal traders, and the main activities located in and nearby are sugarcane farming.
The Shakaskraal Mosque is one of the most prominent landmarks in the town, which is easily identifiable by its expansive dome towers, sitting directly opposite the town’s hardware and building supply store, uShaka Megabuild.
Infrastructure
Roads
The R102 Regional Route is the main north–south road connecting Shakaskraal with Groutville and KwaDukuza to the north and Umhlali and oThongathi to the south (passes through the town centre) and is the untolled alternative route to the tolled N2 freeway. The P467 route is an east–west road connecting Shakaskraal with Palm Lakes Estate and Tinley Manor Beach and provides access to the N2 freeway (to Durban and KwaDukuza) by-passing Shakaskraal to the east.
Rail
Shakaskraal is served by the Shakaskraal Railway Station, situated on the North Coast Line (Durban-KwaDukuza Line), which is operated by Metrorail. The North Coast Line trains run northwards to Groutville and KwaDukuza (Stanger) and southwards to Umhlali, oThongathi (Tongaat), and Durban.
