Ever wondered where Durban’s students refuel? Today we are standing in front of D Block. More precisely D Block Cafeteria.
Durban is the third-most populous city in South Africa. It is after Johannesburg and Cape Town. Durban lies on the east coast of South Africa. It is on the Natal Bay of the Indian Ocean. Durban is the busiest port city in sub-Saharan Africa. It was formerly named Port Natal.
Durban’s story began long before it was called Durban. Archaeological finds in the Drakensberg Mountains show people lived here 100000 years ago. Vasco da Gama saw the coast on Christmas 1497. He named it Natal. Natal means Christmas in Portuguese.
English traders established a trading post at Port Natal in 1824. They were led by Francis Farewell and Henry Fynn. Shaka, the Zulu king, granted them land around the bay. In 1835, the settlement was named after Sir Benjamin D’Urban. He was the governor of Cape Colony. Durban became a borough in 1854. Indentured laborers from British India arrived from 1860. Natal colony became a province of the Union of South Africa in 1910. Durban was granted city status in 1935.
Durban has a diverse heritage. There are large Zulu Indian White and Coloured populations. Durban was a popular tourist spot. This was because of its beaches and warm climate. The Golden Mile beachfront is famous. Other places are the Botanic Gardens and uShaka Marine World.
Durban’s harbor is one of the world’s major commercial ports. Development began in 1855. Durban serves the Witwatersrand industrial region. It is a major container port. Minerals coal sugar and grain are exported. Oil is refined and piped to Johannesburg. After World War I Durban changed. It went from a Victorian town to a modern metropolis. It has skyscrapers and multistoried buildings.
Durban and Pinetown have a larger Indian population than white. The area contains one of the largest concentrations of Indians in South Africa. Ntuzuma Umlazi and Embumbulu were developed as black commuter suburbs. Many blacks were moved from Durban to these areas in the late 1970s. This was under apartheid policies. Durban has been administered by the eThekwini municipality since 2000.
D Block Cafeteria is where students recharge. It is a place for them to relax and socialize. They can grab a bite to eat between classes. It is more than just a place to eat. It is a hub of student life on the campus.
Remember Durban’s motto. “Better fortune follows a humble beginning.”