Hibberdene

Hibberdene is a small coastal town on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast in South Africa, approximately 23 km (14 mi) north-east of Port Shepstone and 90 km (56 mi) south-west of Durban and halfway between coastal towns of Scottburgh and Margate. It was named after C. Maxwell-Hibberd, the former postmaster-general of Natal.

Hibberdene
Hibberdene is located in KwaZulu-Natal
Hibberdene
Hibberdene
Hibberdene is located in South Africa
Hibberdene
Hibberdene
Coordinates: 30°34′20″S 30°34′20″E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceKwaZulu-Natal
DistrictUgu
MunicipalityRay Nkonyeni
Area
[1]
 • Total14.26 km2 (5.51 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total4,037
 • Density280/km2 (730/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[1]
 • Black African67.1%
 • Coloured1.2%
 • Indian/Asian1.8%
 • White29.4%
 • Other0.4%
First languages (2011)
[1]
 • Zulu60.9%
 • English18.1%
 • Afrikaans15.8%
 • Xhosa3.2%
 • Other2.0%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
4220
PO box
4220
Area code039

Law and government

Municipal administration

Previously an independent municipality and part of the defunct Hibiscus Coast Local Municipality, Hibberdene now forms part of the Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality and the larger Ugu District Municipality.

Municipal re-demarcation

As the 2024 national government elections near, there have recently been several demarcation proposals made by the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) to relocate Ward 13 of the Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality which includes Hibberdene and its neighbouring settlements of Woodgrange-on-Sea, Umzumbe (Umzumbe Village), Fairview/Fairview Mission and eNtaba to the adjoining Umzumbe Local Municipality.

However, Umzumbe Village and Fairview would still remain part of Ray Nkonyeni. It has also been highlighted that the relocation of most of Ward 13 to Umzumbe Municipality is in a bid to stimulate economic activity in the Greater Umzumbe area, a rural municipality plagued with administrative mismanagement, high levels of unemployment and little economic and social development. The reason for the relocation is also attributed to the fact that Hibberdene serves as the nearest urban service centre to the Greater Umzumbe area. A final decision on the demarcation proposals is yet to made regarding the relocation of Hibberdene to Umzumbe Municipality.[2][3]

Geography

Hibberdene is situated on a coastal hillside between the uMhlungwa River to the north and the uMzimayi River to the south, both of which drain into the Indian Ocean. For statistical purposes in the 2011 census, the main place of Hibberdene was subdivided into seven sub-places including: Hibberdene proper, the coastal area of Catalina to the north, the coastal areas of Woodgrange-on-Sea and Umzumbe to the south and the rural areas of Fairview, Fairview Mission and eNtaba to the west.[4]

Retail

Hibberdene serves as a shopping centre for the small settlements and countryside surrounding it such as Mthwalume and Mathulini. The town centre of Hibberdene is located adjacent the R102 road and includes a shopping centre, Hibberdene Village Mall (anchored by Superspar), a PicknPay store and a number of other retailers, hardware stores and local businesses.

Culture and comptemptory life

Tourism

Similarly to most towns along the South Coast, Hibberdene mostly depends on tourism for its small-scale economy. Lying at the gateway to the Hibiscus Coast, Hibberdene is popularly known as an affordable holiday destination and for its beaches. Hibberdene has five popular beaches, four of which are netted and thus are safe for swimming. Hibberdene's beaches are popular because of the warm Indian Ocean flowing across its shoreline, making diving, snorkelling and scuba diving very pleasant. Two of its beaches, Hibberdene Beach and Umzumbe Beach are accredited with the international Blue Flag beach status.[5][6][7]

Transport

The R102 is the main road connecting Hibberdene with Sipofu and Pennington to the north and with Umzumbe and Port Shepstone to the south that passes through Hibberdene Central and provides access to the N2 freeway (to Durban and Port Shepstone) by-passing Hibberdene to the west. The R102 between Hibberdene and Port Shepstone is commonly used by motorists wishing to avoid tolling on the N2 in Port Shepstone.

A twice daily shuttle bus stops in Hibberdene connecting the town with Margate, Port Shepstone, Durban and King Shaka International Airport.

References
  1. "Main Place Hibberdene". Census 2011.
  2. https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/kwazulu-natal-could-have-a-new-municipality-by-2026-municipal-elections-66d16f25-5e28-46c7-b177-43c00b3f04b0
  3. "OPINION: New demarcation plans will impact existing ratepayers – South Coast Herald". southcoastherald.co.za. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  4. "Census 2011: Main Place: Hibberdene". census2011.adrianfrith.com. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  5. "These are South Africa's Blue Flag Beaches of 2022". Good Things Guy. 6 January 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  6. "Hibberdene Beach in Hibberdene, KwaZulu Natal". www.sa-venues.com. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  7. "Umzumbe Beach in Umzumbe, KwaZulu Natal". www.sa-venues.com. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
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