#50YearsAgo Isipingo – rich in history (part two)

CLIFF Wood and his brothers, who built most of the houses in Isipingo Beach, ran the first bus service from Isipingo Rail to the beach. Mr Lace also ran a bus service from Isipingo Rail but did not go as far as the beach. His daughters Eunice and Cora, drove the bus as well as his son Arthur. There was great rivalry between the two services.

Eddie Horlock was employed to maintain the roads. The local children would often climb into the back of his lorry and go down to the quarry looking for stone with him. Parents were none too pleased with this and the practise soon stopped.

In the 1930s, a mercantile marine ship called “The Isipingo” sailed between Durban and Calcutta, India. The ship had its own sports club which published a quarterly magazine for its members. The ship had “adopted” Isipingo and praised the village as a prime tourist resort.

An article in the magazine in 1935 mentions, “excellent bathing and surfing facilities”, and a 160-foot tidal swimming pool. Figures from the Isipingo Beach
Town Board at this time give the size of the village as 300 acres, the European population as 600 and 200 houses. The Isipingo Tamil School was established in 1939.

In World War II, the golf course of Isipingo North was used as a base for training airmen. The present Durban International Airport was eventually built
there. One Saturday in the 1940s, a kittyhawk, while training, accidently sprayed bullets over Isipingo Beach. There were no fatalities.

After two years of controversy, Amanzimtoti, Southern Umlazı, Isıpingo Rail and Isıpingo Beach were amalgamated in February 1951.

NEW MUNICIPALITY

The new municipality was named Kingsburgh to reflect the status of the British Empire and in memory of Dick King. Dick King’s original home and a monument to his memory still stand in Isipingo.

Another contentious issue at that time was the deviation of the Umlaas River for the construction of the then Louis Botha Airport.

Prior to this, the Isipingo and Umlaas Rivers had a joint mouth to the sea at Isipingo Beach. The deviation meant that, although the Isipingo River still ran its course, the Umlaas no longer ran into the sea at Isipingo Beach, resulting in a swamp at the mouth caused by insufficient water. This took away the seaside resort of Isipingo Beach, destroying the white beach sands and clean water for swimming.

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The Isipingo Post was started in the early 1950s by Tom Leman. The newspaper folded when he left the district. This was followed in 1958 by the Isipingo News, started by Mr Arie Weeda of Outer Circuit Road. The Isipingo News amalgamated with the Toti Observer in December, 1961. Dr Gorsky of Johannesburg received
a report in the early 1950s of land rich in mineral at the Isipingo River mouth.

Titanium Mine Co was formed soon after to mine the area. Ilmenite, rutile, zircon, magnetite, monazite and garnet were discovered. The miners soon also discovered some valuable archaeological remains and skeletons.

The Isipingo Beach Town Board statistics in 1960 were: European population 1400, 230 families and 169 dogs. In 1963, the Group Areas Act was enforced in Isipingo. By government decree, Isipingo Beach and Isipingo Rail would be amalgamated into a single Indian area, to be called Isipingo. The decree required all white inhabitants of Isipingo Beach to leave and many Indians were forced to move to the new Isipingo.

Many residents of Isipingo Beach resettled in Athlone Park, others in Kloof and Westville. By the end of 1965, the process was complete. In 1972, Isipingo broke away from the amalgamated municipality to form its own local authority. 1977 saw the first mixedrace sport in the district.

Toti cricket team played the all-Indian Isipingo Royals in Amanzimtoti. Toti won by an innings. The lsipingo municipality finally amalgamated with Amanzimtoti and
Kingsburgh in 1994 to form part of the South Local Council.

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