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 balances motorsport, faith and student life over the next few months. IDube hosts the KZNKC CLUB KARTING CHAMPIONSHIP in late October, while Access Church gathers worshippers for GLS 2026 Pietermaritzburg on Halloween. Runners get their turn with the Save Orion Race Pietermaritzburg in November, the same month Harry Gwala Stadium fills for all varsity shutdown. December brings the multi-day One Conference 2026 I KZN to One Life Church.