Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal

Demography

Verulam is inhabited mainly by people of Indian descent. The population is over 63,000. There are several primary and secondary schools catering for all races and all areas of the town. The town contains densely populated residential and industrial areas, which include a multitude of shopping centres, mosques, temples & churches. At the outskirts are large farming areas, several built-up townships, and rural townships. There has been slow but steady progress in modernising the town by providing adequate infrastructure to the rural areas.

Geography

Verulam is located on the banks of the uMdloti River, predominantly situated south of the river. It is bordered by Waterloo and Ottawa South to the south-east, Phoenix to the south, Mawothi to the south-west and Redcliffe to the west. Nearby communities in the surrounding area include Mount Edgecombe (10 km) to the south-east, eMdloti (10 km) to the east, uMhlanga (12 km) to the south-east and oThongathi (13km) to the north-east.

Suburbs

The 2011 census divided the urban area of Verulam into 23 “sub places” including:

• Barrs Flats (industrial)
• Brindhaven (residential)
• Canelands (industrial)
• Cordoba Gardens (residential)
• Dawncrest (residential)
• Everest Heights (residential)
• Grangetown (residential)
• Litchie Farm (residential)
• Lotus Farm (residential)
• Lotusville (residential/industrial)
• Mountview (residential)
• Mzomuhle (residential)
• Oaklands (residential)
• Ottawa (residential)
• Redcliffe (residential)
• Riet River (residential)
• Riverview Park (residential/industrial)
• Riyadh (residential)
• Saana Township (residential)
• Southridge (residential)
• Temple Valley (residential)
• Umhloti Heights (residential/industrial)
• Valdin Heights (residential)

Religious places of interest

One of the main attractions in Verulam is the Sri Gopalall Hindu Temple which was opened in 1913 by Mahatma Gandhi. It is situated in the small suburb of Temple Valley in Verulam. It is one of the oldest temples in South Africa and still caters for prayer & wedding ceremonies. The Shree Siva Subramaniar Alayam has a significant following devotees with the annual Kavady procession being one of the highlights of the temple calendar. It is situated along the Umdloti River.

Another temple is the Gayathri Peedam, situated in Brindhaven. This is the only temple in Africa that houses two full figure Gayathri Murthi's. The ashram is very busy with Sacred Mantra Chants and Crystal Healing Crusades, weekly Navagraha's, Full Moon (Pournami) prayers and Friday Satsangs. The Peedam hosts a meditation garden; a Hanuman Shrine, Shiva Mandir, Sani Shrine and the only Mahavatar Kriya Babaj Shrine in Africa. The ashram focuses on community and youth development programs.

Christ Embassy Verulam is a church in Temple Valley run by Dr. Pastor Shane Maharaj and is a local branch of the main Christ Embassy Church in Nigeria headed by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome.

Blessed Life Ministries is a full gospel community church that is situated at the Redcliffe Primary School.

Muslim writer and motivational speaker Ahmed Deedat is buried in Verulam.

Nature

The Hazelmere Dam, just a few kilometres from Verulam, features a variety of activities, such as watersports, fishing, nature walks, bird watching, a wide range of game, campsites & luxury accommodation.

Verulam is situated just 8.5 km from the small community of Mount Moreland, an important roosting site for the European barn swallow.

Schools and Care Centre

Verulam has numerous schools, which include Lotusville Primary, Verulam Primary, Dawncrest Primary, Verulam Secondary, Mountview Secondary, Temple Valley Secondary, Verulam Independent School, Trenance Park Secondary, Everest Heights Primary School and Glenhaven Secondary School. Verulam Secondary School has had numerous learners placed among the top 10 matriculants in the province and nationally and has achieved a pass rate of +-97% for 6 consecutive years . Temple Valley Secondary has achieved a 95%+ pass rate for the past 5 years.

Verulam is also home to the Verulam Day and Frail Care Centre. The Frail Care Centre caters to destitute frail and elderly citizens with 24-hour nursing care. There is also a hall that is hired out for various functions and meetings.

Industry

Verulam is one of the smaller industrial nodes in the Greater Durban metropolitan area, with most industries concentrated in the northern part of the town. Notable industries operating in Verulam include: Colgate-Palmolive (oral care), Grafton Everest (furniture), AfriSam (construction materials), Frimax (snacks), Packo (spices) and the Parachute Industries of Southern Africa (sport parachutes). Additionally, Shoprite, Africa’s largest supermarket chain, along with its subsidiary Freshmark, has its regional distribution centres for KwaZulu-Natal based in Verulam.

The Verulam Market, opened by the then Verulam Town Board in 1884, is a historic fresh produce market that draws daily customers from all over KwaZulu-Natal and provides income to many residents of the town.

Transport

Air

King Shaka International Airport is the only international airport in the Greater Durban metropolitan area and is located approximately 8 km northeast of Verulam via the R102 and M65. It offers flights to various domestic destinations in South Africa and international routes to Doha, Dubai, Harare, Lusaka, Manzini and Istanbul.

Rail

The main Metrorail commuter route, known as the North Coast Line, runs between Durban in the south (via Mount Edgecombe) and KwaDukuza in the north-east (via oThongathi), serving Verulam with three stations: Verulam Railway Station, which is the main station located in the Verulam CBD, Canelands to the north, and Ottawa to the south.

Road

Verulam is positioned just off the N2, the major freeway connecting Durban in the south with King Shaka International Airport and KwaDukuza to the north. The R102 is the primary north–south route through Verulam, linking oThongathi to Mount Edgecombe while skirting the CBD to the west. The M27 serves as the main east–west road, running south of the CBD as Jabu Ngcobo Drive and Old Inanda Road. This road connects eMdloti to Buffelsdraai and provides access to both the N2 and M4 highways.

Both the R102 and M4 offer untolled alternatives to the northbound tolled N2, with the M4 also serving as a southbound alternative route to uMhlanga and Durban.