Durban Before/After

Documenting urban change in Durban.
Past vs Present. Decline, growth and nostalgia.
Occasional wider eThekwini / KZN.

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

Old Durban.

2 pictures, 70 years apart.
There’s just something so effortlessly classy about the 1953 scene...

Corner of West and Dorothy Nyembe St, Durban, South Africa.
1953 - 2024.

1953 picture courtesy of Etienne du Plessis, obtained via "Facts about Durban" https://t.co/hwU4d2nyJ9

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

Old Durban Time Capsule incoming!

Everything about this screams timeless: the tailored dress, the classic cars, the way people carried themselves. 1960s Grey Street had an unforced elegance. When did we lose this?

Corner of Denis Hurley and Dr Yusuf Dadoo St (formerly Queen and Grey St), Durban, South Africa.
1963 - 2024

Photo by Guus Gorter (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Link in alt text.

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

Back with another Old Durban entry.

Once a street of bicycles and slow traffic, now a corridor of taxis and constant motion.

West St, Durban, South Africa.
1963 - 2023

Photo by Guus Gorter (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Link in alt text.

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

Satellite view displaying (part of) the Shaka's Head informal settlement and a gated community, on separate sides of the railway tracks.

Shaka's Head, iLembe, KZN, South Africa.
2011 - 2025

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

Durban Bright Spots is once again taking you back to the incredible uMhlanga.

From open lots to a world-class skyline 🌊🏗️
New hotels, apartments, retail, and the iconic pier transforming the coastline into a global destination.

Love it or miss the old days?

uMhlanga, (greater) Durban, South Africa.
2002 - 2025

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

The latest entry in the Old Durban series brings us to the city’s iconic shoreline.

Which version do you prefer?

Lower Marine Parade, South Beach, Durban, South Africa. Late‑1950s / Early 1960s - 2013

First picture courtesy of "Dodo", obtained via "Facts about Durban"

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

Masukwana St, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa
2013 - 2024

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

Thokoza Way, Durban, South Africa.
2009 - 2022

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

A fresh addition to the Old Durban series:

Two eras, one street.
What do you see?

West St, Durban, South Africa.
1950s - 2025

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

Ashwell Rd, Durban, South Africa.
2013 - 2023

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

Sheringham Rd, Durban, South Africa.
2013 - 2023

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

Time for a Durban Bright Spot:
Lagoon Drive with Oceans Mall (and the previously covered Pearls) in the background.

The change speaks for itself.

Lagoon Dr, uMhlanga, (greater) Durban, South Africa
2009 - 2024

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

The evolution of an informal settlement.

Malacca Rd, Durban, South Africa.
2010 - 2025

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

What's the solution to ever-growing illegal settlements?

Foreman Rd, Durban, South Africa.
2013 - 2022

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

Old Durban.

40 years.
Same beach.
A world apart.

If you could step into one, which year are you choosing?

North Beach, Durban, South Africa.
Circa 1970s - 2014

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

Constantine Rd, Durban, South Africa.
2013 - 2022

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

Sea Cow Lake Rd, Durban, KZN, South Africa.
2009 - 2022

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

289 Shallcross Rd, Durban, South Africa.
2009 - 2024

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

Old Durban.

First railway station / Point area, Durban, South Africa.
Circa 1860.

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

Phuphumabar Rd, Durban, South Africa.
2010 vs 2023

[Durban Before/After @durbsrewind]

A different angle of Electron & Bisasar Rd, Durban, South Africa.

2009 - 2024