The town began as a makeshift harbour that was set up by Commodore of the Cape, Sir Markus Eugene Brown, during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879.

[5]: 299 In 1965, the South African Government under Minister of Transport Ben Schoeman decided to build a deep water harbour at Richards Bay.

[7] On 1 April 1976, the new deep water harbour was opened with a railway and an oil/gas pipeline linking the port to Johannesburg.

The Port of Richards Bay contains what was once the largest coal export facility in the world, with a planned capacity of 91 million tons per year by the first half of 2009.

The Australian port of Newcastle, New South Wales is the largest coal-exporting harbour in the world, exporting just over 161 million tonnes of coal in 2016.

Iron ore, rutile (titanium oxide) and zircon are mined from the dunes close to the lagoon by Richards Bay Minerals, part of the Rio Tinto Group.

Local exports include coal, en bananas, aluminium, titanium and other heavy minerals, granite, ferrochrome, paper pulp, wood chips and phosphoric acid.

The "John Ross Parkway" (P496) which links Richards Bay to Empangeni and the N2 highway is named after "John Ross" (real name, Charles Rawden Maclean), who at the age of 15 walked from Port Natal to Maputo and back to procure medicine and supplies for the early settlers.

[11] Apart from the mining industry, tourism is a major part of the economy, with Richards Bay seen as a gateway to Zululand, an area popular with foreign tourists because of its large game parks and the diverse wildlife on offer.

The mayor of uMhlathuze was Mr Mduduzi Mhlongo, who so happened to be the Chairperson of the African National Congress in the region.

After the 2021 election, the Inkatha Freedom Party regained its power through a coalition with the Democratic Alliance (DA) with Xolani Ngwezi becoming the new Mayor.

The parish priest of Kwambonambi celebrated Mass twice a month in a private home and, starting in 1973, in the Meerensee Primary School.

They finished the first phase within one year so that Archabbot Notker Wolf of St. Ottilien (Germany), who was at that time in South Africa on a visit, could bless the chapel and kindergarten on 12 August 1978.

The convent chapel was used by the Catholic community of Richards Bay for Sunday Mass from June 1978 until August 1986 when the new church in Veld-en-Vlei was opened.

The influx of people to Richards Bay in the early eighties brought about a marked increase in the number of Catholics.

The Diocese of Eshowe eventually accepted the proposal to build a church together with a hall and a caretaker's flat in Veld en Vlei because of the central position of this suburb.

The area experiences high levels of crime with a number of high-profile murders, including that of a ward councillor in 2024.

Richards Bay is a popular kitesurfing destination thanks to consistent winds blowing from the North East.

Due to its regional airport, its proximity to Durban (3-hour drive) and its status as the gateway to Zululand, Richards Bay was identified as a possible training base for the World Cup.

In May 2010, it was announced that the Nigeria football team would move their base to Richards Bay for the duration of the World Cup.

This race brought in professional and amateur surf ski racers alike from Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg.

South Africa's top provincial surfers gathered to compete at Alkantstrand during the week-long event in August.