Journey Impressions: Durban

Durban: approx. 3.47 m inhabitants (2009)
South Africa: approx. 48.7 m inhabitants
Population growth (2008): 1.3%
People per km²: 40
Gross national income per person in 2008 PPP: 9,780 USD


23.11.2010 Maun: Rainy north German weather - not something we had expected in Durban. The weather didn't improve until day two when the cloud base lifted and the skyline was visible from our hotel.

24.11.2010 Maun: After breakfast we stepped outside. We noticed that it wasn't as cold as the air conditioning in the hotel had led us to believe. Armed with a map, we went for a walk along the coast to the beach. More than 30 surfers with neoprene suits were already in the water and waiting for that vital wave. Otherwise, the beach was pretty empty because the season had not yet begun. When observing the Durban skyline, we realised that it was not much different from European or American cities located on coasts. But when we looked more closely, we noticed that buoys were bobbing in the water here and there. Nets were attached to them to stop sharks attacking swimmers.

In the afternoon we had decided to see the city in more depth in a car with a guide. First of all we passed the new football stadium which Martin, as a non football fan, considered completely superfluous. But he couldn't deny that it really was an impressive building from an architectural standpoint. Our tour continued on through the city. It looked as if there was plenty going on. We spotted new office buildings springing up, a major harbour industry and we visited the busy centre with all its many markets and shops. We saw that some plots of land, destined for the Soccer World Cup, had been cleverly obscured. They prevented the ruins behind from being seen.

All in all, with a population of three million, Durban is an ambitious city with a bustling harbour industry. It is also a hub for German car makes like BMW, VW and Mercedes which all produce models here in South Africa. At the end of our drive, we couldn't avoid our guide taking us to the botanical garden. It turned out that he used to be a farmer and managed a farm with lots of employees. This was his reason for his particularly close relationship to flora. But Martin and I were unfortunately not as enthusiastic. We just wanted to gain a brief overview and go back to the hotel. Martin rejected a walk through the vast orchid gardens. As a result, our tour of the city was reduced from three to about two hours. But nevertheless, we gained an impression of what makes this city tick.

As a result and due to the modern buildings we saw, we couldn't understand at all why people back home and elsewhere had doubted the South Africans' ability to built stadiums for the World Cup. These doubts clearly ignore the fact that South Africa is an industrial nation. Its construction industry builds high rises, modern hotels, schools, admin buildings, bridges, motorways, airfields and much more. And Africa is not just a bush and delta country, but an emerging nation with industry that is on the move. Quite apart from all the natural resources, whose exploitation we saw on the flight to Durban in open-pit mines.

Finally, the really friendly staff at Durban's Hilton Hotel deserves special thanks.