Mount Edgecombe

Mount Edgecombe or Mt Edgecombe is a town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, situated just north of Durban, which forms part of eThekwini, the Greater Durban Metropolitan area. Much of the suburb is cordoned off as a gated settlement comprising resorts, golf courses and a retirement home. It was previously a sugar growing area. The population increased by 89% between 2001 and 2011 from 3,874 to 7,323. Its name is derived from the Earl of Mount Edgecombe in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

Mount Edgecombe
View of the Mt Edgecombe Country Club Estate with Phoenix in the background
View of the Mt Edgecombe Country Club Estate with Phoenix in the background
Mount Edgecombe is located in KwaZulu-Natal
Mount Edgecombe
Mount Edgecombe
Mount Edgecombe is located in South Africa
Mount Edgecombe
Mount Edgecombe
Coordinates: 29.721°S 31.050°E / -29.721; 31.050
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceKwaZulu-Natal
MunicipalityeThekwini
Area
[1]
 • Total8.34 km2 (3.22 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total7,323
 • Density880/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[1]
 • Black African10.5%
 • Coloured1.5%
 • Indian/Asian36.5%
 • White50.0%
 • Other1.5%
First languages (2011)
[1]
 • English84.1%
 • Afrikaans4.8%
 • Zulu4.4%
 • Other6.7%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
4302
PO box
4300

Geography

Mount Edgecombe lies within a hilly region approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) inland from the coastal resort of uMhlanga Rocks and approximately 14 km (8.7 mi) north-east of the Durban CBD. It is bounded to the east by the N2 freeway (beyond which lies uMhlanga), to the west by the R102 (beyond which lies Phoenix), to the north by the M41 freeway (beyond which lies Cornubia) and to the south by an open tract of land insulating it from urban areas such as Riverhorse Valley and Mount Moriah.

Mount Edgecombe encompasses three distinct areas - the Mount Edgecombe Country Club Estate, the industrial area to the east and the retail precinct to the north.

Culture and contemporary lifestyle

Mount Edgecombe Country Club Estate has long held its reputation as the most expensive estate in the Greater Durban metropolitan area and comprises two smaller golf estates, numbered 1 and 2 which contain their respective championship golf courses.[2][3]

With rural origins, Mount Edgecombe is today being redeveloped as a residential suburb and golf estate on the northern outskirts of the Greater Durban metropolitan area. The town’s laid-back suburban atmosphere by comparison to its bustling neighbour of uMhlanga and its proximity to Durban, uMhlanga and the King Shaka International Airport make it a popular area to live within the metropolitan area.

Economy

Sugar

With a long history as a sugarcane growing area, today Mount Edgecombe is essentially the centre for the South African sugar industry, home to the corporate headquarters of the South African Sugar Research Institute and the South African Sugar Association.[4][5]

Although much of the sugarcane farms that once surrounded Mt Edgecombe have now been absorbed into the town, it is roughly as far as one can go within the Greater Durban metropolitan area before it dissolves into rolling sugarcane fields stretching about 70 kilometres (43 mi) northwards to the uThukela River.

Industries

Mt Edgecombe is one of the smaller industrial centres in the Greater Durban metropolitan area mainly housing various light industries ranging such as logistics – notably the regional distribution centres of Spar (for perishables) and Freedom Stationery – and hardware among others.[6]

Retail

While mostly a residential area, the recent developments in the Mount Edgecombe area means that it does have a fair amount of retail amenities mainly concentrated on Flanders Drive on the northern edge of the town. Flanders Drive includes the Flanders Boutique Mall as well as a wide variety of automotive and technological businesses.[7]

A notable landmark in Mount Edgecombe is the Cornubia Mall, a 65,000m2 shopping centre opened on 27 September 2017 and forms part of the Cornubia City, a planned smart city north of the town developed on former sugarcane land by Tongaat Hulett. Cornubia City is also home to the only Makro store north of Durban.[8][9]

Infrastructure

Healthcare

Mount Edgecombe is served by the Life Mount Edgecombe Hospital, a private hospital owned by Life Healthcare Group located in the suburb of Rockford (falls under Phoenix), on the boundary between Phoenix and Mount Edgecombe. [10]

Rail

Mount Edgecombe is served by the Mount Edgecombe Railway Station situated on the main commuter line between Durban and KwaDukuza (North Coast Line) with Metrorail operating services on the North Coast Line to Durban, Phoenix, Verulam, oThongathi (Tongaat) and KwaDukuza (Stanger).

Roads

The N2 Outer Ring Road is a north/south freeway, connecting Mount Edgecombe with Durban to the south and with King Shaka International Airport and KwaDukuza to the north, while the M41 is an east/west freeway, connecting Mount Edgecombe with uMhlanga to the east.

The R102 is a north/south regional route connecting Verulam with Durban that by-passes Mount Edgecombe to the west as North Coast Road. The M26 is an east/west metropolitan route connecting Mount Edgecombe with Phoenix as Phoenix Highway.

Developments
Newly upgraded Mount Edgecombe Interchange

The Mount Edgecombe Interchange, recently upgraded in October 2019 serves as the interchange between the N2 and M41 freeways and has become a notable landmark in Mount Edgecombe especially with one of the flyovers being the longest incrementally launched bridge in South Africa, at a length of 948 metres.[11]

See also

References
  1. "Main Place Mount Edgecombe". Census 2011.
  2. "The most expensive estates in Durban". ECR. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  3. "Mount Edgecombe Country Club - Home of two championship golf courses". Mount Edgecombe Country Club. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  4. "Contact Us - SASRI - South African Sugarcane Research Institute". SASRI. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  5. Alive, Come. "Contact Us". SASA. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  6. "Contact". Freedom Stationery. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  7. "Home - Flanders Boutique Mall". Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  8. "Home | Cornubia Mall". 15 November 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  9. "Cornubia - Tongaat Hulett Properties". 10 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  10. "Life Mount Edgecombe Hospital | Durban | Life Healthcare". www.lifehealthcare.co.za. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  11. "The R1.14bn Mount Edgecombe Interchange has officially opened".


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