Morningside, Durban

Morningside is a prestigious and affluent suburb of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It has an exclusive high end luxury residential area with a commercial park.

Morningside
Suburb
Morningside, view from the top of Moses Mabhida Stadium
Morningside Show map of KwaZulu-Natal Morningside Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 29.822°S 31.017°E / -29.822; 31.017
Country	South Africa
Province	KwaZulu-Natal
Municipality	eThekwini
Government
Area [1]
• Total	3.24 km2 (1.25 sq mi)
Population  (2025)[2]
• Total	15 120
Racial makeup (2025)
• Black African	15.1%
• Coloured	4.2%
• Indian/Asian	25.5%
• White	55.2%
First languages (2001)
• English	82.35%
• Zulu	11.0%
• Afrikaans	2.6%
• Xhosa	1.9%
• Other	1.3%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	4001
PO box	n/a

The surbub has attracted many businesses as it has a large commercial area and home to many high net worth individuals HNWIs.

Morningside continues to be a sought after suburb offering a blend of luxury, convenience and community spirit that makes it the ideal place to live and work.

According to Elite suburbs south africa Morningside is ranked the 8th wealthiest suburb in south africa with a total wealth of R168 billion ($9.2 billion )

1.Sandton R1.1 trillion ($55 billion)

2.Stellenboch R500 billion ($40 billion)

3.Midrand & Randburg R400 billion ($30 billion)

4.Umhlanga R360 billion ($20 billion)

5.Somerset west R200 billion ($15 billion)

R200 billion ($15 billion)

6. Durban North R180 billion ($10 billion)

7.St. James R175 billion ($9.2 billion )

8.Morningside (durban )R168 billion( $9.1 bn)

9.Clifton R150 billion ($8.5 billion)

10.Campsbay R135 billion( $7.5 billion)

Location

The suburb is a middle income area of Durban located about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) inland from the Indian Ocean coast, on the south bank of the Umgeni River. Its neighboring suburbs are Puntans Hill to the west, Essenwood to the south-west, Windermere to the south and Stamford Hill to the east. It has 500 dollar millionaires

Politics

Morningside is classed under the Ward 27 in terms of IEC's demarcation which includes Essenwood, Windermere and Stamford Hill.

The elected Councillor for this Ward is Ernest Smith who represents the ward in the eThekwini Council and currently serves on the Human Settlements and Infrastructure Committee & currently serves as the Democratic Alliance Whip for the Human Settlements Committee. Previously, Councillor Ernest Smith served on the Parks, Recreation and Culture portfolio's which is a part of Community Services Committee for Ethekwini Municipality.

The Parks, Recreation and Culture portfolio is primarily tasked with the maintenance of municipal facilities such as Parks, Swimming Pools, Beaches, Cemeteries, Play lots and Stadia with the eThekwini Metro.

The Human Settlements and Infrastructure committee primarily deals with the Durban Solid Waste services, Electricity infrastructure, Water and Sanitation infrastructure, Roads and Storm water, building developments, human settlements (informal/formal)as well as other issues that fall into the eThekwini Municipality under its ambit.

Previously, the Ward Councillor for Ward 27 was Lukas Marthinus Meyer who served as a Member of the Provincial Legislature of KwaZulu-Natal and served as spokesperson for the Democratic Alliance on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA). Prior to the National Elections in 2024, Martin Meyer was a Member of the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) (Kwazulu-Natal-Provincial-Legislature-Committee) and currently serves as the MEC (Member of the Executive Council) for Public Works & Infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal.

Layout and attractions

The Morningside area contains classical examples of large Edwardian and Victorian style homes with tin roofs and wide verandas, including the State President's residence (when at home). Around Florida Road in the suburb's southwest is a nightlife area consisting of shops, restaurants, pubs and bistros. It is the closest residential suburb to the Moses Mabhida Stadium (in Stamford Hill), which was completed in 2009 on the grounds of the Kings Park Sports Ground.

Education

• Kenmore Primary School
• Livingstone Primary School
• Morningside Primary School
• Clifton Preparatory School
• Durban Preparatory High School

Facilities

Parks and gardens

• Burman Bush
  • Baden Powell Scouts Site
  • Helen Gibling Gardens
  • Westgate Gardens
• Jameson Park and Rose Garden
• Mitchell Park
• Windsor Park

Other

• Florida Road Post Office
• Library (adjacent to Kenmore Primary School)
• Motor Licensing Office
• Morningside Sports Club
• Berea Police Station
• Innes Road Jamaat Khaana

Consulates

• Belgium
• Chile
• Madagascar
• Portuguese
• Thailand

Churches

• Lambert Road Baptist Church
• Morningside Community Church (MCC- Rev. Dr. Gabriel J Benjiman)^[3]

Safety

Morningside is divided over two SAPS precincts. The section west of Peter Mokaba Road is covered by Mayville SAPS while the section east of Peter Mokaba Road is covered by Berea SAPS (located in Musgrave).^[4][5][6]