About Pietermaritzburg

Pietermaritzburg was founded by Voortrekkers in 1838 and has served as the capital of KwaZulu-Natal since South Africa's provinces were established, giving it a concentration of colonial-era civic architecture including the red-brick City Hall, one of the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. It was here, at the city's railway station in 1893, that a young Mohandas Gandhi was famously ejected from a first-class train carriage, an incident often cited as a turning point in his political awakening. The city, known locally as Maritzburg, sits in the Natal Midlands and is closely associated with the Comrades Marathon, the ultramarathon run between it and Durban that alternates direction each year. Its economy blends provincial government, education (it is home to a University of KwaZulu-Natal campus) and light manufacturing, set against surrounding hills and the nearby Msunduzi River.

Pietermaritzburg kicks off the week with the NKVY Sisterhood Summit 2026 at Golden Horse Casino, and runners take to the Oval Cricket Stadium the next day for the SPAR Women's Challenge Maritzburg 2026. Comedy fans can catch Andre The Hilarious Hypnotist at the same venue that weekend, while dance and costume culture collide at the Chaos Carnival Pietermaritzburg Edition on Madison Avenue. Nightlife rounds out September when LOVERS & FRIENDS - PIETERMARITZBURG lands at Madison Avenue for a two-night party. Concerts, markets and sporting fixtures continue to fill the Pietermaritzburg calendar through spring.