Westville Area Profile

Westville at a glance

The green and verdant suburb of Westville, only a 15-minute drive from the Durban City Centre, lies between Sherwood and Pinetown and is a picturesque area boasting rolling hills, winding tree-lined avenues and lovely views of the city.

The town was laid out on the farm Westville, named in honour of Martin West, the first British lieutenant-governor of Natal and was formed in 1847. It developed from a settlement of German immigrants who arrived in 1848. Today it boasts upmarket homes, office parks, popular schools, and a number of shopping centres and educational institutions.

Westville is a popular choice for families looking for quiet suburbia. Homes on offer are mostly larger homes set on spacious plots with lush gardens. Schooling in the area is among the best in the province, with a great infrastructure from pre-primary through to university. Westville Boys High School and Westville Girls High School are both public schools which have a wonderful and successful history and a good reputation.

The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Westville campus is set within beautiful natural surroundings and has a rich multicultural history. The campus is also the official address of the University and houses the executive and administrative divisions of the management team.

For those who love retail therapy, in Westville you are spoilt for choice with the Pavilion Shopping Centre, the Westville Village Mall, Westwood Mall and Westville Mall, all offering a wide range of local and national retailers. The Pavilion Shopping Centre is by far the largest of the shopping centres in the area and has 40 eateries/restaurant’s which are located mainly in the food court, as well as over 230 retail outlets, 12 cinemas, a skate park, a micro-brewery, tenpin bowing and an amusement park. Virgin Active have recently opened a new gym at the Pavilion Shopping Centre.

If you are looking to step out in nature, the Palmiet Nature Reserve, which spans the length of the Westville Valley offers hiking trails and wonderful opportunities for bird-watching. There are also many other parks and open spaces offering opportunities for outdoor relaxation. The reserve is ninety hectares in size and features a river, cliffs, forest and grasslands plus over 170 different species of trees and a variety of wildlife such as blue duiker, dassies, mongoose and local vervet monkeys.

The Umkhumbane Flea Market is a grass-roots trading spot that is held in the area every Sunday. The organiser’s vision is for locals and tourists to enjoy a leisurely shop, ambling past busking musicians and dancers to browse a variety of stalls selling traditional ethnic wear, curios, carvings and more. There is also a food market and pony rides.

Culturally, Westville is home to the Bergtheil Local History Museum, a national monument housed in the oldest building in the area. It dates back to the 1840s and showcases the history of the original German settlers in the area.

An annual highlight for residents of Westville is the Comrades Marathon which follows the route of the M13, the main freeway which runs through the suburb. Each year, residents and businesses take to the streets to watch and support the runners, who come from all over the world.

The suburbs of Westville include Cowies Hill, Chiltern Hills, Dawncliffe, Reservoir Hills, Atholl Heights, Berea West, Rooikoppies, Westville, Cato Manor, Asherville, Sherwood and Clare Estate.

Westville is ideally located to allow you easy access to the main highways leading to the city as well as the north and south coast. It is a short and easy drive to Durban’s Golden Mile and the very popular promenade. Westville homes are usually set on fairly large properties providing residents plenty of space in which to create a great lifestyle.