Pietermaritzburg

Pietermaritzburg is the capital of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province. Founded by Voortrekkers in 1838, it is also a regional center for government, education, and commerce.

Voortrekkers: Afrikaner communities who migrated inland from the Cape Colony during the 1830s and 1840s. Voortrekkers founded Pietermaritzburg in 1838 after settling in the area.
Mahatma Gandhi: An Indian lawyer and anticolonial leader who developed the political method of satyagraha. Gandhi’s 1893 removal from a train at Pietermaritzburg became a formative episode in his life.
KwaZulu-Natal Legislature: The provincial legislature that makes laws and oversees government in KwaZulu-Natal. Its seat in Pietermaritzburg anchors the city’s role in provincial government.
Durban: A major South African port city on the Indian Ocean coast of KwaZulu-Natal. Durban is the province’s largest city and Pietermaritzburg’s principal urban counterpart.
Natalia Republic: A short-lived Boer republic established in the region of present-day KwaZulu-Natal in the 1840s. Pietermaritzburg served as the republic’s capital before British annexation.
Alan Paton: A South African novelist and educator best known for the novel Cry, the Beloved Country. Paton was born in Pietermaritzburg, where his early life shaped his writing.
University of KwaZulu-Natal: A public research university formed in 2004 through the merger of two South African universities. Its Pietermaritzburg campus sustains the city’s university and research presence.
Howick Falls: A waterfall on the uMngeni River near the town of Howick in KwaZulu-Natal. The falls lie just north of Pietermaritzburg in the city’s surrounding Midlands region.
Colony of Natal: A British colony in southeastern Africa that existed from 1856 until 1910. Pietermaritzburg became the colony’s capital and administrative center.
John Langalibalele Dube: A South African educator, writer, and political leader who became the first president of the ANC. Dube’s political and educational work was rooted in Natal, whose capital was Pietermaritzburg.

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Bessie HeadBroader topic: Her birth there anchors the South African beginning of her life story.