CAPITAL: The Voice of Business Issue 1, 2015 | Page 3

Msunduzi Municipality - Pietermaritzburg

A safe, vibrant city in
which to live, learn, raise
a family, work, play and
do business.
City of Choice | Second to None

Pietermaritzburg, situated within the Msunduzi Municipal boundary, is
the capital city and second largest city of the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
It was founded in 1838, and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local
Municipality. Its ‘purist’ Zulu name is uMgungundlovu, and this is the name
used for the district municipality.
Pietermaritzburg has come a long way from the quiet, colonial outpost
it once was. Today, it is a modern South African city that is home to over
600 000 people of diverse cultures. Here one can walk in the footsteps of
Gandhi, Mandela, Luthuli and Paton, and many other truly great South
Africans.

Msunduzi Mayor
Cllr Chris Ndlela

Municipal Manager
Mxolisi Nkosi

Pietermaritzburg is the ‘City of Choice’ because we are:
• only 45 minutes by road from Durban, Africa’s busiest port;
• only one hour away by road from the new King Shaka Airport;
• only one hour by air from Pietermaritzburg Airport to OR Tambo
International Airport (Johannesburg);
• only 90 minutes from the central Drakensberg resorts;
• the new capital of South Africa’s most popular province, KwaZulu-Natal;
our city’s economy grew by an incredible 30% in 2003—2004 and continues
to grow at an exceptional rate;
• an educational centre of excellence;
• home to great international events, such as the Comrades Marathon, the
Dusi Canoe Marathon, the Midmar Mile, the Royal Show, the Garden Show,
Art in the Park, Cars in the Park, and international cycling events like the UCI
BMX World Championships.
Pietermaritzburg is a regionally important industrial hub, producing
aluminium, timber and dairy products. It is home to many schools and
tertiary education institutions, including a campus of the University of
KwaZulu-Natal.

www.msunduzi.gov.za

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