Pinetown is a neighbouring town just inland from Durban in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. Development over the last couple of decades has seen Pinetown forming a contiguous metropolitan area with the north-western suburbs of Durban, and Pinetown is now part of the larger eThekwini Municipality.

Named after a former governor of Natal, Sir Benjamin Pine, the town was established in 1850 along the main wagon route between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.  Through the years, a number of German immigrants settled in Pinetown, accounting for the New Germany suburb being so named.  The town retains its German roots and imported German cakes and baked goods can still be found on the shelves of the largest grocery store in Pinetown, Knowles Spar.

One of the five campuses of the University of KwaZulu-Natal can be found in Pinetown.  The Edgewood campus is dedicated to the education of teachers and other education professionals.

With Pinetown now sitting cheek-by-jowl with other suburbs of Durban, there are a number of attractions close by. Once of the more interesting is the Mariannhill Monastery, founded in 1882 as a Trappist Mission, and set in the rolling hills on the outskirts of Pinetown itself. The cathedral here is worth a visit to view the beautiful ceiling frescos and stained-glass windows. The monastery forms the starting point of the Trappist Trail which visits all ten Trappist missions in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands over a 3 day period, including two catered overnight stop-overs.

Pinetown is also just a few kilometres from the picturesque Krantzkloof Nature Reserve in neighbouring Kloof. The reserve offers a number of scenic walks, viewpoints and quiet places to sit and observe the abundant bird life, which includes a number of impressive raptors and the elusive Knysna Turaco.