Nestled in the northern suburbs of Durban, approximately 25 kilometers (15 mi) northwest of the city center, Phoenix is a vibrant and culturally diverse community that reflects the essence of South African heritage. Phoenix is an Indian Township, northwest of central Durban.
Established as a township in 1976, but it has a long history of Indian occupation. The area is filled with the majority indian/asian people also referred to as thumbies by locals. Initially a sugarcane estate and since the mid-1970s a municipal housing development for the Indian community beginning with unit 4-Stonebridge.
Sections were initially labelled as precincts and later renamed with proper street addresses. After the passing of the Group Areas Act, a law which designated specific regions for occupation by specific races, Phoenix became an Indian township.
Until the early 1990s, Phoenix was divided into 'units' by the local government. Now, Phoenix is made up from 23 areas, such as:
- Grove End (unit 17)
- Eastbury
- Southgate
- Greenbury
- Rainham
- Stonebridge
- Centenary Park
- Campbell's Town
- Centenary Heights
- Rockford
- Clayfield
- Longcroft (unit 8)
- Rydalvale
- Sastripark
- Palmview
- Foresthaven
- Woodview
- Sunford
- Redfern (unit 10)
- Whetstone (unit 11)
- Westham (unit 12)
- Esselen (unit 13)
However, many people still refer to areas by their unit names.
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With its mix of cultural traditions, recreational facilities, and modern amenities, Phoenix offers residents a dynamic living experience within close proximity to Durban's bustling city life.
Cultural Diversity and Heritage
Phoenix is renowned for its cultural diversity, with a mosaic of communities residing in the suburb. The area is home to a mix of Indian, African, Coloured, and White residents, creating a rich tapestry of traditions, languages, and customs.
The suburb celebrates its cultural heritage through various festivals, religious events, and traditional ceremonies. The annual Phoenix Hindu Diwali Festival, in particular, showcases the vibrant Indian culture with colourful lights, dance performances, and delicious food.
Community Spirit and Social Life
Phoenix is known for its strong sense of community spirit and neighbourly bonds. Residents actively participate in social events, charity initiatives, and community gatherings, fostering a close-knit and welcoming atmosphere.
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The Phoenix Plaza, a bustling shopping centre, serves as a meeting point for residents to connect, shop, and enjoy leisure time together. The suburb's parks and recreational areas also attract families and friends for picnics and outdoor activities.
Phoenix Plaza owned by Vukile Property Fund is a shopping centre situated north of Durban in the beautifully diverse province of Kwa-Zulu Natal. The centre is home to more than 105 independent and national retailers with Shoprite as its anchor tenant caters for the locals of the Phoenix and surrounding communities.
The shopping centre totalling a gross lettable area of 24, 341.58m² was built in the year 1993.
Phoenix Plaza, Gem City, and Starwood Mall 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. Many business owners can be found in Phoenix.
Education and Learning Opportunities
Phoenix is committed to providing quality education for its residents. Public education in the Phoenix area is provided by various primary and secondary schools, one technikon and various F.E.T colleges.
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The suburb offers a range of schools, including public and private institutions, that prioritise academic excellence and personal development.
For higher education, Phoenix is conveniently located near the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Westville campus and other tertiary institutions, providing options for further studies and professional growth.
Economic Activities and Employment
The suburb of Phoenix has seen economic growth and development over the years. Its strategic location and accessibility have attracted businesses and industries, providing employment opportunities for local residents.
Phoenix Industrial Park is a hub of economic activity, accommodating a variety of businesses and manufacturing facilities, further contributing to the area's economic vitality. Phoenix also hosts a sizeable developing industrial area with big companies, such as the beverage producer SABMiller.
Places of Worship
The Phoenix area in Durban, South Africa, has a number of religious establishments, including mosques, temples, and churches. Phoenix is home to a multitude of places of worship that cater to the diverse religious communities in the suburb.
Transport and Connectivity
Phoenix enjoys good transport connectivity with Durban and other surrounding areas. The suburb is well-served by road networks, including the N2 highway, making commuting to Durban's city centre convenient for residents.
The main route intersecting Phoenix is the M26 Phoenix Highway, connecting the township with Mount Edgecombe to the east. Bordering to the east, the R102 runs northwards from Durban to Verulam and provides access to the M41 freeway (to uMhlanga). Bordering to the south-west, the M25 Curnick Ndlovu Highway runs north-westwards from Durban to Inanda.
Three main means of public transport are available: privately owned buses, taxis (including Uber & Taxify), and the rail system . Phoenix has its own railway station which connects to many towns in the Greater Durban region such as Mount Edgecombe, Verulam, Tongaat (now oThongathi) and Stanger (now KwaDukuza).
Totaling 175 at its peak in the mid-90s, Phoenix had one of the largest numbers of privately owned buses in South Africa.
Recreation and Leisure
Phoenix offers residents a range of recreational and leisure facilities. The Mount Edgecombe Country Club and the Phoenix Sports and Recreation Club provide opportunities for sports enthusiasts to engage in activities like golf, tennis, cricket, and swimming.
The suburb's parks, including the Palmview Nature Reserve and the Phoenix Lake, offer serene settings for residents to relax and enjoy nature.
Healthcare and Essential Services
There is one major government hospital (Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital), and one private hospital (Life Mount Edgecombe Hospital). Phoenix provides access to essential healthcare services through clinics, medical centres, and pharmacies. Residents have access to medical attention and essential health services within the suburb. Various smaller clinics can be found.
The area is also well-equipped with essential services, including shopping centres, supermarkets, and other amenities to cater to the daily needs of its residents. E. g. Phoenix Plaza, Gem City, Starwood Mall, The Acropolis Mall and Top Hat Supermarket, Checksave, Check Mart and multiple spaza shops are some of the few shopping centres that can be found in Phoenix's CBD.
Telecommunications and Internet Access
In terms of telecommunications and Internet access, 99% of Phoenix is covered by either wireless internet connection such as fibre optics, 5G, 4G, LTE, UMTS, EDGE, and HSDPA, or has access to a landline/ADSL.
Local news is distributed via regional newspapers such as the Rising Sun, the Post and Phoenix Tabloid, Daily News & Mercury, and Sunday times
Gandhi's Phoenix Settlement
Mahatma Gandhi spent his formative years in South Africa, where he developed his philosophy of satyagraha, a form of active yet peaceful resistance to political injustices. Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi arrived in South Africa in 1893 aged 24 on an assignment as a newly qualified lawyer. He remained in the country for 21 years, occasionally visiting India and England.
In 1904, Mohandas Gandhi, who had resided in nearby Durban since 1893, established a small village-like settlement, Phoenix Settlement, on the northwestern outskirts of Inanda. Boasting residences, a clinic, a school, and a printing press, Phoenix served for a time as an important home to Gandhi, his family and his followers as they strove to follow a path of social change through passive resistance.
While living in South Africa, Gandhi was inspired by a visit to a Trappist community in Mariannhill and by John Ruskin’s book, Unto This Last, to found a communal living system. In addition to a printing press for his newspaper, Indian Opinion, Gandhi’s settlement featured a clinic, school and homes, including his cottage, Sarvodaya, meaning 'well-being for all', where he lived with his family.
Although the press was burned down during the political upheaval of the mid-1980s, it was rebuilt as a museum. Gandhi used the weekly Indian Opinion, which first appeared on 6 June 1903, to share his philosophy of passive resistance - satyagraha.
Gandhi’s eldest son, Manilal, was the Indian Opinion’s longest-serving editor, from 1920 to 1956. In 1904, the publishing office was relocated to the Phoenix Settlement. Throughout its history, the settlement has been an iconic representation of South Africa’s fight for justice, peace and equal rights for all citizens.
During the apartheid era it was an important resistance site, where activists from all over the country met for political enlightenment.
The Phoenix Settlement now includes a medical clinic, an HIV/AIDS center, and other facilities. The development is part of the Inanda Heritage Trail.
Next to the Phoenix settlement is the Kasturba Primary School, named after Gandhi’s wife. A school built on the site in her honour in 1954 was destroyed in 1985.
The Phoenix Settlement forms part of the Inanda Heritage Route, a gem of KwaZulu-Natal. Entry to the site is free.
Gandhi studied law in England in his youth before returning to India. Finding work hard to come by in his homeland, in 1893, in his early 20s, he went to South Africa to work as a lawyer for an Indian merchant firm. There was a substantial Indian population of close to 100,000 in South Africa by this time, based mainly in Natal. Gandhi soon opened his own law office in Durban.
He helped to organize the Natal Indian Congress in 1894, and in 1903 he started a weekly paper, Indian Opinion. Increasingly interested in a communal life of self-supporting simplicity and inspired both by Trappist monasteries and John Ruskin’s book Unto This Last, the following year he bought some 100 acres (40 ha) near Phoenix station and there founded a community that he called Phoenix, and he moved the newspaper operations to the new setttlement.
He and his wife, Kasturba, lived there in a simple wooden house that he called Sarvodaya, “a place for upliftment for all,” where he had his newspaper’s printing press. The other inhabitants of the settlement were friends and relatives who built their own houses and started farming.
It was at the Phoenix Settlement that Gandhi fully worked out his philosophy of nonviolent civil disobedience for tackling injustices and discrimination and continued campaigning for Indian rights. Though Gandhi left South Africa in 1914 and spent the rest of his life in India, the Phoenix Settlement continued, and his son Manilal returned to South Africa three years later.
Manilal remained at Phoenix, running the newspaper, for the rest of his life. His wife, Sushila, remained there until her death in 1988.
A huge Zulu squatter camp called Bhambayi grew up close by at Inanda, originally a Zulu settlement founded in 1845, and during a period of violence in 1985 the Phoenix Settlement was raided by camp residents, who looted and destroyed it.
Gandhi’s house and the Phoenix Settlement were restored and reopened in 2000 at a ceremony attended by President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and the Zulu king Goodwill Zwelithini.
A visit to Phoenix Settlement and Gandhi Trail
July 2021 Riots
Following the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court, riots broke out in KwaZulu-Natal on July 9, 2021. Phoenix was among the towns affected.
During the July 2021 riots, Magmore Place and Corngrove Road were illegally blocked off, preventing black people from accessing the area. During the 1985 Inanda riots, a large portion of the settlement was razed.
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