City Details: Pietermaritzburg
A few alternate names for Pietermaritzburg are: Maritzburg, Mokokotlofo, PZB, Petromaritzburgum, Pietermaritsburg, Pietermaritzburg, Pitehrmarycburg, Pitermaricburg, Pitermaricburgas, Piturmaricburg
Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after Durban. It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. The town was named in Zulu after King Dingane's royal homestead uMgungundlovu. Pietermaritzburg is popularly called Maritzburg and is often informally abbreviated to PMB. It is a regionally-important industrial hub, producing aluminium, timber and dairy products, and is the main economic hub of uMgungundlovu District Municipality. The public sector is a major employer in the city due to local, district and provincial government offices located here.
General Information
- Official Name: South Africa
- Common Name: South Africa
- Population: 750845
- Timezone: Africa/Johannesburg
- Coordinates: -29.61679, 30.39278
- Country Code: ZAF
- Continent: Africa
Closest Airports to Pietermaritzburg
- 1. Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), distance from city center: 3.63 km
- 2. Virginia Airport (VIR), distance from city center: 66.53 km
- 3. King Shaka International Airport (DUR), distance from city center: 70.27 km
Location of Pietermaritzburg
Country Details
- Country: South Africa
- Official Name: Republic of South Africa
- Capital: PretoriaBloemfonteinCape Town
- Region: Africa
- Subregion: Southern Africa
- Population: 59,308,690
- Area: 1,221,037 km²
- Languages: Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
- Currency: South African rand (R)
- Timezones: UTC+02:00
- Flag:
Has borders with:
- Botswana
- Lesotho
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Eswatini
- Zimbabwe
Holidays in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Planning a short trip? Check out the Long Weekends Calendar in South Africa for 2026
- New Year's Day - 2026-01-01
- Human Rights Day - 2026-03-21
- Good Friday - 2026-04-03
- Family Day - 2026-04-06
- Freedom Day - 2026-04-27
- Workers' Day - 2026-05-01
- Youth Day - 2026-06-16
- National Women's Day - 2026-08-10
- Heritage Day - 2026-09-24
- Day of Reconciliation - 2026-12-16
- Christmas Day - 2026-12-25
- St. Stephen's Day - 2026-12-26
Museums in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Comrades Marathon House
18 Connaught Road, Msunduzi Ward 36, Pietermaritzburg, 3200, South Africa
Coordinates: 29.6142° S, 30.3953° E
Hours: Mo-Fr 08:00-16:30
Voortreker
351 Langalibalele Street, Msunduzi Ward 32, Pietermaritzburg, 3201, South Africa
Coordinates: 29.6000° S, 30.3830° E