Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg
uMgungundlovu (Zulu) | |
|---|---|
City | |
From top, left to right: St. Peter's Church, Post Office, City Hall, Kwa-Zulu Natal Museum, Airport | |
| Nicknames: PMB, Maritzburg, Mirichbhag (Bhojpuri) | |
Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg | |
| Coordinates: 29°37′S 30°23′E / 29.617°S 30.383°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | KwaZulu-Natal |
| District | uMgungundlovu |
| Municipality | Msunduzi |
| Established | 1839 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mzimkhulu Thebolla (2019) (ANC) |
| Area | |
• Total | 126.15 km2 (48.71 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 596 m (1,955 ft) |
| Population (2023) | |
• Total | 839,327 |
| • Density | 6,653.4/km2 (17,232/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 70.0% |
| • White | 14.2% |
| • Indian/Asian | 8.4% |
| • Coloured | 6.9% |
| • Other | 0.3% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Zulu | 57.0% |
| • English | 28.9% |
| • Afrikaans | 4.2% |
| • Xhosa | 3.5% |
| • Other | 6.3% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal code (street) | 3201 |
| PO box | 3200 |
| Area code | 033 |
| Website | www |
Pietermaritzburg (/ˌpiːtərˈmærɪtsbɜːrɡ/; Zulu: uMgungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after Durban. It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality.
The town was named in Zulu, after King Dingane's royal homestead uMgungundlovu. Pietermaritzburg is popularly called Maritzburg and is often informally abbreviated to PMB. It is a regionally important industrial hub, producing aluminium, timber and dairy products, and is the main economic hub of uMgungundlovu District Municipality. The public sector is a major employer in the city due to local, district and provincial government offices located here.
The city has many schools and tertiary education institutions, including a campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.