Pietermaritzburg – commonly known as “Maritzburg” - is the provincial capital and second-largest city after Durban in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. Founded in 1838, the city area is now estimated to have a population of more than a million people.
The area where Pietermaritzburg is now sited was also known as Umgungundlovu during the height of the Zulu empire, which translates as “Place of the Elephant”. It has been speculated that the Zulu king, Shaka, had his warriors hunt elephant there in order to sell the ivory to English traders in Port Natal (later renamed as Durban).
The beautiful Valley of a Thousand Hills lies between Pietermaritzburg and Durban and forms part of two of the most famous endurance events in world sport: the 89km Comrades Marathon and the equally gruelling 120km Dusi Canoe Marathon. The Comrades is run annually in June between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, with the start alternating between the cities from year to year. The run from Durban is known as the “up run” and the run from Pietermaritzburg as the “down run” in reference to the altitude variance between the two cities.
“The Dusi” takes place in January each year, with the route following the Msunduzi River into the Mgeni River, attracts close to 2,000 paddlers each year, making it the largest canoe event in Africa.
The city also hosts the Midmar Mile, an annual swimming event that takes place on the Midmar Dam north of the city in February every year. This is one of the largest open-water swimming events in the world, attracting more than 16,000 competitors.
Famous former residents of the city include Kork Ballington (former world 250cc motorcycle champion), Shaun Morgan (lead singer of rock band Seether), well-known authors Tom Sharpe and Alan Paton, and international cricketers David Miller, Kevin Pietersen and Jonty Rhodes.
