South Coast (KwaZulu-Natal)

The primary hubs of the South Coast are Port Shepstone and Amanzimtoti with several other coastal hubs at Kingsburgh, Margate, Port Edward, Shelly Beach, Scottburgh and Umkomaas whilst Harding and Umzinto have developed as primary commercial centres for the hinterland.

[7] The following main towns/areas form part of the Hibiscus Coast: Harding is a small town located halfway between Port Shepstone and Kokstad in Griqualand East.

The KZN South Coast currently has ten hospitals serving the coastal region with various options in terms of public and private healthcare.

They include:[20] The South Coast is a major tourist destination with a sunny, subtropical climate and has become widely known for its world-class surfing beaches, with Margate as the “holiday capital” of the region.

Most of the coastal region is highly seasonal, with a large proportion of second homes used exclusively during peak holiday periods which is usually from about mid-December to mid-January.

Most of the macadamia nuts are farmed on the Lower South Coast, specifically around Port Edward and Oribi Flats.

However, over the past few years, similarly to bananas there has also been a significant shift from sugar cane to macadamia nut farming.

Prior to 1 December 2023, the South Coast had four vehicle registrations plate configurations starting with N which stood for Natal.

The South Coast is served by Margate Airport which currently has scheduled weekly flights to Johannesburg operated by CemAir though many tourists also arrive from the King Shaka International Airport, north of Durban which has a wider variety of scheduled flights to other domestic destinations in South Africa as well as international destinations such as Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Lusaka, Manzini and Harare.