Phoenix, Durban

Phoenix is an Indian township, northwest of central Durban, in South Africa, KwaZulu Natal. It was established as a township by the apartheid government in 1976, but it has a long history of Indian occupation. It is associated with the Phoenix Settlement, built by Mahatma Gandhi.[2]

Phoenix
Phoenix
Phoenix
Coordinates: 29.701°S 31.004°E / -29.701; 31.004
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceKwaZulu-Natal
MunicipalityeThekwini
Area
 • Total30.16 km2 (11.64 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total176,989
 • Density5,900/km2 (15,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African12.1%
 • Coloured1.8%
 • Indian/Asian85.0%
 • White0.2%
 • Other0.9%
First languages (2011)
 • English87.4%
 • Zulu8.1%
 • Other4.5%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
4068
PO box
4080
Area code031

History

The township was founded initially as a sugarcane estate. After the passing of the Group Areas Act, a law which designated specific regions for occupation by specific races, Phoenix became an Indian township. Sections were initially labelled as precincts or units, and then later renamed with proper street addresses. [3]

Places in Phoenix

Until the early 1990s, Phoenix was divided into 'units' by the local government. These units have since been given street and area names, such as:


  • Grove End (Unit 17)
  • Stanmore (Unit 18)
  • Eastbury (Unit 7)
  • Southgate
  • Greenbury (Unit 2)
  • Rainham (Unit 3)
  • Stonebridge (Unit 4)
  • Centenary Park
  • Campbell's Town
  • Centenary Heights
  • Rockford
  • Clayfield (Unit 5)
  • Longcroft (Unit 8)
  • Rydalvale (Unit 9)
  • Brookdale
  • Trenance Manor
  • Sastripark
  • Palmview
  • Caneside (Unit 20)
  • Foresthaven (Unit 21)
  • Woodview
  • Sunford (Unit 15)
  • Redfern (Unit 10)
  • Whetstone (Unit 11)
  • Westham (Unit 12)
  • Lenham (Unit 13)

However, many local people still refer to areas by their unit numbers.

There are many religious establishments such as musjids, temples and churches present in Phoenix.

Media and communication

Local news is distributed via regional newspapers such as the Rising Sun, the Post and Phoenix Tabloid. In terms of telecommunications and Internet access, 99% of Phoenix is covered by either wireless Internet connections such as LTE, UMTS, EDGE, and HSDPA, or have access to a landline/ADSL. The majority of ADSL users in Phoenix use Telkomsa as their Internet service provider.

There are also many local Facebook pages that are used to relay news and crime related incidents.

Health and education

Public education in the Phoenix area is provided by various primary and secondary schools, one technikon and various FET colleges. There is one major government hospital (Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital), and one private hospital (Mount Edgecombe Hospital). Various clinics are also to be found, e. g. Grove End Clinic.

List of schools in Phoenix:

  • Mahathma Primary School
  • Sunford Primary School
  • Avonford Secondary School
  • Solvista Secondary School
  • Rustic Manor Primary School
  • Stanmore Secondary & Primary School
  • Grove End Secondary School
  • Woodview Primary & Secondary School
  • Highstone Primary School (Unit 11)
  • Grandmore Primary School
  • Palmview Primary School
  • Riverview Primary School
  • Olimpia Primary School
  • Palmview Secondary School
  • Sastripark Secondary School
  • Northmead Secondary School (Unit 10)
  • Phoenix Secondary School (Unit 5)
  • Stonebridge Primary School (Unit 4)
  • Pioneer Primary School (Unit 4)
  • Daleview Secondary School (Unit 2)
  • Greenbury Primary School(Unit 2)
  • Greenbury Secondary School(Unit 2)
  • Clayhaven Primary School(Unit 5)
  • Hopeville Primary School (Unit 3)
  • Northlen Primary School(Unit 13)
  • Crystal Point Secondary School(Unit 13)
  • Brookdale Secondary School (Unit 12)
  • Trenance Manor Secondary School
  • Millview Primary School (Unit 7)
  • Eastbury Secondary School (Unit 7)
  • Rydalvale Primary School (Unit 9)
  • Rydalpark Secondary School (Unit 9)
  • HAVENPARK SECONDARY SCHOOLhttp://myafricanschool.com/HAVENPARKSECONDARYSCHOOL
  • Foresthaven Secondary school
  • Earlington Secondary School

Shopping centres

Phoenix Plaza, Gem City, Starwood Mall and The Acropolis are some of the few shopping centres that can be found in Phoenix's CBD. These centres cater for various needs from top brand shops to local products.

Phoenix Plaza

Phoenix Plaza owned by Vukile Property Fund is a shopping centre situated north of Durban. The centre is home to more than 105 independent and national retailers with Shoprite as its anchor tenant.

The shopping centre totalling a gross lettable area of 24,341 m² was built in 1993.

Transport

Three main means of public transport are available: private owned buses, taxis and the rail system including Uber & Taxify , Phoenix has its own railway station which connects to many towns in Durban. The King Shaka International Airport is a few minutes drive which provides various outlets. Totaling at 175 at its peak in the mid-90s, Phoenix had one of the largest number of private owned buses in South Africa. The two bus services that contributed to the transport landscape of the area were Mayville Coach Lines and Springfield Safari Tours (SOS).

Industrial sector

Phoenix also hosts a huge industrial area with big companies such as SAB Africa Miller, which produces beverages in the Coca-Cola family.

References
  1. "Main Place Phoenix". Census 2011.
  2. Makhatini, Mack; Moodley, Samantha. "Phoenix". City of Durban, South Africa. Archived from the original on 16 September 2009.
  3. "Phoenix". www.durban.gov.za. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.