Gillitts, KwaZulu-Natal
Encyclopedia
Gillitts is a suburb
on the western boundary of Durban
, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa
.
It is positioned near the currently burgeoning Hillcrest
and Kloof
. The whole area is known as the Upper Highway Area
as the M13 highway intersects it.
While some residents do seem to complain about the mist, it does usually come as a welcome relief to the intense humidity of the area.
Gillitts has remained fairly stable while Kloof and Hillcrest in the surrounding areas are growing quite rapidly. This can be attributable to the fact that there is very little area for Gillitts to grow.
Gillitts originated as an extensive farm that extended over the whole of the Upper Highway area, but over time, the farm was sold off and now only the 100-year-old farmhouse remains inside the Gillitts Driving Range and 9-hole, mashie golf course. This golf course is one of the best designed courses of its size in KZN.
The area of Gillitts extends along either side of the M13 highway which stretches from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. The M13 replaced the Old Main Road between the two cities, and a section of Old Main Road is now the major road through the south side of Gillitts.
Off of Stockville Road – one of the other main roads in Gillitts suburb – a large ethnic Indian population lives, and over the traditional Indian festivals, fireworks are very prominent as part of their celebrations, especially over Dipvali and New Years.
On the northern side of the M13, known as Gillitts Park, the old train line from Durban to Pietermaritzburg winds through the residential areas. This train line is no longer in regular use, and is only used by the Umgeni Steam Railway
, who runs a tourist service of carriages through from Kloof Train Station to Cato Ridge on the last Sunday of every month. This train is pulled by 'Maureen', a restored Class 3BR No. 1486 steam engine built in 1912 and the sound of the train whistle echoing through the neighbourhood on a Sunday morning is a reminder of a quieter time of life.
The Gillitts Train Station on the line in the middle of Gillitts is derelict and currently not used, but is a beautiful example of 1900-era architecture. Dating back to the Boer War in the first decade of the 20th century, the train station was a stop for British soldiers transiting from Durban through to the Midland battlefields as well as returning wounded soldiers.
During the Boer War, the Gillitts family farm held a garrison of British troops, who built a small dam for water and a camp in what is now Camp Road. The dam still exists in a picturesque natural park amongst the houses on what is now Ashley Drive and contains bass, barbel and other fish species as well as supporting a variety of other waterfowl.
The Gillitts Conservancy is a very active organisation who manages the Iphithi Nature Reserve in the middle of northern Gillitts. This nature reserve is a success story. Situated in a valley between two roads, it was a stand of invader species Blue Gum trees for 50 years until 2001. The residents bordering the valley organised a committee and contracted a logger to fell the Blue Gums. As the wood was valuable as timber, the committee was paid a lump sum which it used to found the nature reserve, fence off the additional entrances and pay for the laying of paths, building of viewing decks and planting of indigenous species. Today the Iphithi Nature Reserve is a 15 Hectare stand of indigenous forest, wetland and grasslands and home to many species of birds, small mammals and even a dam has been built which is populated with fish.
The walks and park benches are popular with the residents and the park is quite heavily used on weekends.
With plot sizes of minimum half-an-acre, very few cluster developments, no commercial or industrial development and this very active environmentalist population, Gillitts still houses hundreds of birds and indigenous wildlife including small buck, duiker, Iphithi and porcupine.
In the first six months of 2009, we have seen an upsurge in housebreakings in the area. Traditionally an out-of-the-way neighbourhood, Gillitts Park has been largely spared the crime problems that the rest of the country has experienced. The recent upsurge in incidents has led to the formation of a neighbourhood watch association. Called the Gillitts Park Streetwatch, this organisation is composed of residents who have contracted a service provider to provide cellphone communications links between members. By watching out for each other and working with local law enforcement, the 860-home neighbourhood saw nine arrests of housebreakers in four weeks. The crime rate has since dropped off.
, South Africa
. Comprising the northern half of the suburb of Gillitts, Gillitts Park is a green belt
residential area
with almost no commercial development and no industrial development. In its entirety, Gillitts Park consists of about 900 homes in freehold, residential sites with a minimum plot size of 0.5 acres (2,023.4 m²). There are also about 200 cluster development
units scattered through the neighbourhood, the most prominent being Augusta Golf Estate. Situated about 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) inland from the Durban and at an altitude of 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) above sea level, Gillitts Park experiences a warm year-round climate
, with no frost or snow in winter and drastically reduced humidity
when compared with the coastal suburbs. Commercial development is limited to home-offices, a small, single-storey office building and the Emberton Mashie Golf Course, 9 hole course as well as a driving range
and coffee shop
.
Having experienced an upsurge in residential housebreaking
s during the first half of 2009, residents banded together to form the Gillitts Park Streetwatch. This organisation is a 'Neighbourhood Watch'-type structure, with the additional function of re-creating a sense of community and maintaining the beautiful environment of the area.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
on the western boundary of Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Overview
It is about 22 miles (35.4 km) inland from the city centre at an elevation of 1800 feet (600 m ASL). Although Durban is semi-tropical and very humid, Gillitts is above the humidity and is not humid, except when it is in the clouds, which generally occurs in summer. It is in the mist belt area, so this area gets a fair amount of mist which many of the residents complain about.It is positioned near the currently burgeoning Hillcrest
Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal
Hillcrest is a settlement within eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and forms a part of the Upper Highway Area.-History:Hillcrest was formerly a sleepy village, governed by its own Town Board on the outskirts of Durban that has now become a booming suburb incorporated into the eThekwini...
and Kloof
Kloof, KwaZulu-Natal
Kloof is a leafy, middle- to upper class suburb and small town, that includes a smaller area called Everton, in the greater Durban area of eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa....
. The whole area is known as the Upper Highway Area
Upper Highway Area
The Upper Highway area is a region west of the city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.It includes the main suburbs of Kloof and Hillcrest, as well as the smaller areas of Assagay, Botha's Hill, Forest Hills, Gillitts, Waterfall and Winston Park....
as the M13 highway intersects it.
While some residents do seem to complain about the mist, it does usually come as a welcome relief to the intense humidity of the area.
Gillitts has remained fairly stable while Kloof and Hillcrest in the surrounding areas are growing quite rapidly. This can be attributable to the fact that there is very little area for Gillitts to grow.
Gillitts originated as an extensive farm that extended over the whole of the Upper Highway area, but over time, the farm was sold off and now only the 100-year-old farmhouse remains inside the Gillitts Driving Range and 9-hole, mashie golf course. This golf course is one of the best designed courses of its size in KZN.
The area of Gillitts extends along either side of the M13 highway which stretches from Durban to Pietermaritzburg. The M13 replaced the Old Main Road between the two cities, and a section of Old Main Road is now the major road through the south side of Gillitts.
Off of Stockville Road – one of the other main roads in Gillitts suburb – a large ethnic Indian population lives, and over the traditional Indian festivals, fireworks are very prominent as part of their celebrations, especially over Dipvali and New Years.
On the northern side of the M13, known as Gillitts Park, the old train line from Durban to Pietermaritzburg winds through the residential areas. This train line is no longer in regular use, and is only used by the Umgeni Steam Railway
Umgeni Steam Railway
Umgeni Steam Railway - a railway preservation group, started in 1982, located just outside Durban in a small village called Inchanga. The history of the line they use dates back to the 1870s when the first railway line was built to run from Durban-Pietermaritzburg .-Excursion Trains:On the last...
, who runs a tourist service of carriages through from Kloof Train Station to Cato Ridge on the last Sunday of every month. This train is pulled by 'Maureen', a restored Class 3BR No. 1486 steam engine built in 1912 and the sound of the train whistle echoing through the neighbourhood on a Sunday morning is a reminder of a quieter time of life.
The Gillitts Train Station on the line in the middle of Gillitts is derelict and currently not used, but is a beautiful example of 1900-era architecture. Dating back to the Boer War in the first decade of the 20th century, the train station was a stop for British soldiers transiting from Durban through to the Midland battlefields as well as returning wounded soldiers.
During the Boer War, the Gillitts family farm held a garrison of British troops, who built a small dam for water and a camp in what is now Camp Road. The dam still exists in a picturesque natural park amongst the houses on what is now Ashley Drive and contains bass, barbel and other fish species as well as supporting a variety of other waterfowl.
The Gillitts Conservancy is a very active organisation who manages the Iphithi Nature Reserve in the middle of northern Gillitts. This nature reserve is a success story. Situated in a valley between two roads, it was a stand of invader species Blue Gum trees for 50 years until 2001. The residents bordering the valley organised a committee and contracted a logger to fell the Blue Gums. As the wood was valuable as timber, the committee was paid a lump sum which it used to found the nature reserve, fence off the additional entrances and pay for the laying of paths, building of viewing decks and planting of indigenous species. Today the Iphithi Nature Reserve is a 15 Hectare stand of indigenous forest, wetland and grasslands and home to many species of birds, small mammals and even a dam has been built which is populated with fish.
The walks and park benches are popular with the residents and the park is quite heavily used on weekends.
With plot sizes of minimum half-an-acre, very few cluster developments, no commercial or industrial development and this very active environmentalist population, Gillitts still houses hundreds of birds and indigenous wildlife including small buck, duiker, Iphithi and porcupine.
In the first six months of 2009, we have seen an upsurge in housebreakings in the area. Traditionally an out-of-the-way neighbourhood, Gillitts Park has been largely spared the crime problems that the rest of the country has experienced. The recent upsurge in incidents has led to the formation of a neighbourhood watch association. Called the Gillitts Park Streetwatch, this organisation is composed of residents who have contracted a service provider to provide cellphone communications links between members. By watching out for each other and working with local law enforcement, the 860-home neighbourhood saw nine arrests of housebreakers in four weeks. The crime rate has since dropped off.
Gillitts Park
Gillitts Park is a small residential suburb of DurbanDurban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Comprising the northern half of the suburb of Gillitts, Gillitts Park is a green belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
residential area
Residential area
A residential area is a land use in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single family housing, multi-family residential, or mobile homes. Zoning for residential use may permit...
with almost no commercial development and no industrial development. In its entirety, Gillitts Park consists of about 900 homes in freehold, residential sites with a minimum plot size of 0.5 acres (2,023.4 m²). There are also about 200 cluster development
Cluster development
Cluster development is the economic development of business clusters. The cluster concept has rapidly attracted attention from governments, consultants, and academics since it was first proposed in 1990 by Michael Porter...
units scattered through the neighbourhood, the most prominent being Augusta Golf Estate. Situated about 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) inland from the Durban and at an altitude of 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) above sea level, Gillitts Park experiences a warm year-round climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
, with no frost or snow in winter and drastically reduced humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
when compared with the coastal suburbs. Commercial development is limited to home-offices, a small, single-storey office building and the Emberton Mashie Golf Course, 9 hole course as well as a driving range
Driving range
A driving range is an area where golfers can practice their swing. It can also be a recreational activity itself for amateur golfers or when enough time for a full game is not available. Many golf courses have a driving range attached and they are also found as stand-alone facilities, especially...
and coffee shop
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
.
Having experienced an upsurge in residential housebreaking
Housebreaking
Housebreaking is the process of training a domesticated animal that lives with its human owners in a house to excrete outdoors, or in a designated indoor area, rather than inside the house. The pet owner's desire is to break the habit of eliminating in the house, hence the term...
s during the first half of 2009, residents banded together to form the Gillitts Park Streetwatch. This organisation is a 'Neighbourhood Watch'-type structure, with the additional function of re-creating a sense of community and maintaining the beautiful environment of the area.
Sources
- The Highway Mail, 1 June 2011.
- The Hilltop, 2 June 2011.
- Independent Electoral Commission (South Africa), 9 June 2011.