Southbroom is a coastal village on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa, situated approximately halfway between Port Edward (18 km) and Port Shepstone (23 km).
Southbroom lies approximately 213 km south of Pietermaritzburg (the provincial capital city of KwaZulu-Natal) and 143 km south-west of the coastal city of Durban.
Southbroom is situated between Ramsgate to the north and Marina Beach to the south, and is bounded by the uMbizane River to the north and the Mpenjati River to the south.
Officially founded in 1933, Southbroom currently falls within the Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality, which is part of the Ugu District Municipality.
The 2011 census divided Southbroom into four “sub places”: Southbroom proper, Trafalgar, San Lameer, and Marina Beach.
Roads
The R61 Provincial Route (future N2 Wild Coast Toll Road) passes through Southbroom from Port Shepstone in the north to Port Edward in the south. Southbroom marks the southern end of the freeway section of the R61 and the South Coast Toll Road, and the northern end of the limited-access route towards Port Edward.
The R620 Regional Route is the alternative route to the R61 connecting Southbroom with Port Shepstone via Ramsgate and Margate. The two main access roads into the village are Southbroom Avenue (north) and Eyles Road (south).
History
In 1884, a pioneer named Alfred Eyles established a mission on the site of the present-day Outlook Farm. This is the earliest recorded settlement of Southbroom.
In 1895, The Fascadale was wrecked on rocks off Southbroom beach while en route to Lisbon, Portugal, but the timely arrival of another vessel meant that only two people died.
The name “Southbroom” was first associated with the area in 1908, when the Swedish Zulu Mission took over the mission from the Eyles family, who subsequently renamed their home “Southbroom”, a reference to a family home in their native England. Frank and Gilbert Eyles, the youngest sons of Alfred, proclaimed the township in 1933.
In 1935, the Southbroom Hotel opened, with its tidal pool (known as Granny’s Pool) opening two years later. The golf course was first opened in 1939, and extended to a full 18 holes in 1948.
