Tongaat is a sugarcane

Sugarcane

Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...

 growing township in KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....

, 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...

 that is situated on the banks of the Tongati River about 37 km north 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...

 and 28 km south of Stanger. It now forms part of eThekwini

Ethekwini

eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality created in 2000 that includes the city of Durban, South Africa and surrounding towns. eThekwini is one of the 11 districts of KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The majority of its 3,090,126 people speak Zulu...

, the Greater Durban metropolitan area. Its population is predominantly people of Indian descent. Aesthetically English colonial but distinctly cosmopolitan in flavour, Tongaat, part of the Sugar Coast, now supports one of the largest sugar-producing districts in the world.

History

Tongaat was established in 1945 and its name was corrupted from the river's name, Tongati, the Zulu

Zulu language

Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...

 word for the Strychnos mackenii trees that flourish on its banks.

Commerce

The town is the centre for the Tongaat Hulett Sugar and the Moreland Molasses Companies. Maidstone Sugar Mill,
one of the country's first mills, completed in 1850. Some original sugar-crushing methods are still employed.

Churches

• Tongaat hosts the Tongaat branch of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa, founded by Rev John G. Lake in 1908.
• The Tongaat South Methodist Church was opened on 26 September 1979.
• The Anglican church of All Saints
  All Saints Maidstone (South Africa)
  All Saints Maidstone is a church on the Dolphin Coast in the Anglican Diocese of Natal in KwaZulu Natal.-History:Maidstone in KwaZulu Natal was named after Maidstone in Kent in the UK. It was a model village built exclusively for the white community who worked for the Tongaat Sugar Company...
  
   can be found in the historic Tongaat Sugar Company village of Maidstone.

Temples

• The Juggernathi Puri Temple which is a national monument and tourist attraction. It was built in 1920 by the late Pandit Sirikishan Maharaj in a North Indian style.
• Sri Siva Soobramaniar Temple, which hosts what is arguably South Africa's largest Kavadi Festival, involving some of the oldest religious rituals in recorded history. also the Habibia Soofie Musjid which is 101 years old...
• The Vishwaroop Temple and Dharmashala was formally established in 1903.The temple hall is named after Mr Gopal Krishna Gokhale
  Gopal Krishna Gokhale
  Gopal Krishna Gokhale, CIE was one of the founding social and political leaders during the Indian Independence Movement against the British Empire in India. Gokhale was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and founder of the Servants of India Society...
  
  who visited Tongaat and the Temple during his visit to South Africa on advise from Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
• The Brake Village Temple located in central Tongaat hosts the biggest Kavady festival on the continent during Autumn.

Tongaat's Victoria hospital opened in 1987.

Activities

Crocodile Creek, a crocodile farm where feedings can be viewed.

Scenic drives. Many drives in the area are picturesque including the road from erulam, KwaZulu-Natal|Verulam],the parks and gardens of
Amanzimyama on the approach into Tongaat.

Dudley Pringle Dam. A scenic venue north of the town; ideal for picnicking and watersports.