Our Town

26

A melting pot of cultures

his vibrant town is convenientlylocated near the Chief Albert Luthuli

(M4) highway and is surrounded by anumber of factories that offer employmentto the people of the area. Prospecton, theadjacent industrial area, is the location ofSouth Africa’s largest automobile assemblyplant, Toyota. Describing the area’s wayof life, Simo “C’mo Money” Maphumulo(23) said: “As the youth, we feel that thenearby factories should look to us first aslocal people for employment”.

Nevertheless, he enjoys living in thearea because of the diverse cultures.“We always come to the Lotus Park CarWash to mix with other races and listen tomusic,” said Simo. He said the car washis one of his hangout spots as it becomesvibey on Sundays with motorists coming

to ‘splish splash’ their cars to get ready forthe week ahead.

The town is built on a high ridge of sandat the mouth of the Isiphingo River andforms part of eThekwini Municipal area. Itis named after the river whose name isthought to be derived from the intertwinedcat-thorn shrubs present in the area, orthe river’s winding course.

The town comprises Isipingo Rail,Lotus Park, Isipingo Hills, Orient Hills,Malukazi and Isipingo Beach. The beachis one of the area's major attractions.Maphumulo said the area has fine beachesand is regularly frequented by fishermen,especially during the sardine run.

“I occasionally go fishing with myfriends at the Isipingo Beach rivermouth,but we have since stopped because we saw

a snake and we were very frightened.”Nkosinathi “Jesus” Ntuli (21) said

Isipingo has most of the things one mightneed in a big town. “As you can see thetown is buzzing during the day. There’s somuch activity here, with taxis going up anddown taking people to and from the city,”said Ntuli.

He said the town has a primary school,library and a number of big shops.The main road connects the town to theChief Albert Luthuli highway whichprovides easy access to the city of Durban.“Can you believe that we also have taxisfrom Umlazi that come to offload peoplehere as well as take them back. Not manytownships have that kind of arrangement,where else can you catch a taxi from onetownship to another?” he asked.

About 20km south of Durban lies Isipingo, an area blessed with a fascinating mixof cultures and a unique history.

words | MACK MAKHATHINI pictures | THEMBA KHUMALO