Isipingo is a town situated south of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Under apartheid it was first a "whites only" area, but was then reclassified as Indian. By forcing the whites to sell their houses and move out, the apartheid government claimed it was being fair, as it wished to justify the forcing out of millions of people who were not white from their homes around South Africa. Isipingo currently forms part of eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. The town is named after the Siphingo River, which in turn is thought to be named for the intertwining cat-thorn shrubs present in the area, or the river's winding course. The town comprises Isipingo Rail, Malaba Hills, Isipingo Hills, Lotus Park, Orient Hills, Malukazi and Isipingo Beach, a seaside township built on a high ridge of sand at the mouth of the Siphingo River. The area has fine beaches, Reunion Park Beach, Isipingo Beach River Mouth, Tiger Rocks Beach and Dakota Beach, which are regularly frequented by bathers and fishermen, especially during the sardine run. The town itself has Primary Schools, High Schools, Libraries, Local Municipality and is close to major shopping centres. A main road connects the town to the M4 highway which provides easy access to Durban city. Isipingo Beach adjoins a major industrial area, Prospecton, which is the location of one of South Africa's largest automobile assembly plants, that of Toyota. The facility, covering almost, is a place of employment for many Isipingo residents. Isipingo Secondary, Reunion Secondary and Strelitzia Secondary are the localhigh school. The populace is predominantly of Indian origin. Neighbouring suburbs include Amanzimtoti and Umlazi, and the disused Durban International Airport is situated on the fringes of Isipingo Beach. Isipingo is known for the area where Dick King is buried.
Religious sites
There are a number of Hindu temples, four mosques; Isipingo Hills Musjid, Isipingo Beach Musjid, Taleemuddeen Maddrassa Mosque, and Musjid Muqarrabeen,Masjid Mehboobia in Isipingo rail and two Christian churches.
During the Second World War the Coastal Command deployed 10 Squadron SAAF at Durban and Isipingo – this unit functioned as a torpedo bomber/ coastal reconnaissance squadron. They operated from runways that had been cut out of sugarcane fields- it was in this area that the main runway of the now defunct Durban International Airport was later built. The squadron headquarters is now home to the Amanzimtoti Country Club. In 1942 the squadron returned to its defense purposes and were re-equipped with Mohawks and Kittyhawks. There are several incidents of Kittyhawk crashes near Isipingo:
5009 - crashed near Isipingo on 19 June 1944, 2Lt C. V. J. Giddey survived
5010 - crashed near Isipingo on 7 December 1943
5013 - caught fire in flight and crashed near Umbilo on 1 November 1943, 2Lt F. E. Hamm survived
5014 - stalled after take off and crashed near Isipingo on 2 October 1943, 2Lt K. L. Clur survived
5021 - crashed near Isipingo on 4 October 1943, 2Lt R. A. Hamlyn killed
5027 - crashed near Isipingo on 22 December 1943, 2Lt A. N. Blake killed
