Westville, KwaZulu-Natal
Westville is an area near Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, which is situated 20 km inland from the Durban city centre. Formerly an independent municipality governed by a Town Council[1][verification needed], it now forms part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, which also includes Durban. The town was laid out on the farm Westville (named in honour of Martin West, the British lieutenant-governor of Natal) and formed in 1847.
Westville is a decentralised hub of Durban. It lies in the Durban West Tourism Route, around 20-25 min (by car) from central Durban. This location means that it is situated practically for commuters based in Durban. It has become an established upmarket area, with the fourth most expensive average property prices in the province after Umhlanga, Durban North and the Berea.[citation needed]
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[edit] Education
Schools situation in Westville include Westville Boys' High School , Westville Girls' High School , Atholl Heights Primary School and Westville Senior Primary.
Higher education centres include a 2 square-kilometre campus of University of KwaZulu-Natal (former University of Durban-Westville) and Varsity College (Westville campus).
Specialist schools such as The International Hotel School, based at the Westville Hotel and The Fusion Cooking School can also be found in Westville.
[edit] Churches
There are several churches in Westville, including the Westville Catholic Church, Our Lady of Lourdes, situated in the town centre, the Westville Baptist Church and St Elizabeth's Anglican Church.
[edit] Mosques
The major mosque in Westville is Habibia Soofie Masjid, located opposite Westville Boys High School. It is a Soofie mosque.[2]
[edit] Prison
Westville Prison is one of the largest prisons in the country and the only prison located in the Durban area. The average daily population for 2010 was 3,281. [3]
[edit] Townships
Westville is also central to several main townships, namely Cato Manor, Claremont and Chesterville.
[edit] Shopping Centres
Westville has three notable shopping centres:
- Westwood Mall, situated close to the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville campus.
- Westville Mall
- The Pavilion Mall, the largest shopping centre in Westville and the second large in the Durban area, after Gateway.
[edit] Attractions
Tourists attractions include Westville's Palmiet Nature Reserve which has 15 km of guided and self guided trails. Further afield tourists can experience the evergreen Western Inland Route and KwaZulu's regional attractions, including The Drakensberg (Barrier of Spears) Battlefields Tours, Game Reserves and Zululand are within a 2-3 hour drive. A large Anglo-German Historical Route exists with numerous Churches, Museums and Gravesites depicting the early settlement struggles of the early Colonial Days.
[edit] Prison escapes
There have been a number of escapes or attempted escapes from Westville Prison:
- Thozamile Taki, the "sugarcane serial killer" and eight other awaiting trial prisoners broke out of their cell at the Medium "A" section of the prison on February 21st 2010 by sawing through a steel door and the grill gates.[4]By March 7th 2010, 3 of these escapees including Thozamile Taki had been caught, with one killed by the police. [5]
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ "SA Qur'anic Institutions Database". http://www.quranunion.co.za/institutions.php. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
- ^ "Westville Correctional Facility". ingov. http://www.in.gov/idoc/2401.htm. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
- ^ Madlala, Mpume (February 22 2010). "Prison break - warders unaware". http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/prison-break-warders-unaware-1.474261. Retrieved August 27 2011.
- ^ Savides, Matthew (March 7 2010). "Police shoot dead Westville Prison escaper". http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/police-shoot-dead-westville-prison-escaper-1.475463. Retrieved August 27 2011.
