Westville, KwaZulu-Natal
Westville is an area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and is just west and 10 km inland from the Durban CBD. It was a formerly independent municipality however it became part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in 2002. The climate is subtropical; Westville experiences mild, dry winters, and hot, humid summers with frequent late afternoon downpours. History
The settlement began in 1847 as the farm "Westville" (named in honour of Martin West, the first British lieutenant-governor of what was then the province of Natal). In March 1848 a group of Germans, brought out by Jonas Bergtheil, arrived in Port Natal to settle the area and farm cotton. They established several farms both in Westville and neighbouring New Germany (the two settlements are separated by the Palmiet Valley), and were a tight-knit community. The Westville settlers would travel through Palmiet Valley on Sundays to attend the Lutheran Church in New Germany. When their cotton crops failed the first year, settlers were granted permission to farm other crops like potatoes, mielies (corn), barley and oats. The city of Durban provided a ready market for their produce. The 'German House' owned by the Lange family on what is today Jan Hofmeyr Road became an important stopover for those travelling the Old Main Road between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. The Outspan Tree alongside the hostelry is now a national monument. The Bergtheil Museum, located on what is today 16 Queen's Avenue, was built in the 1840s and is the oldest remaining house in Westville. It offers visitors an idea of early settler dwellings and farming practices. The 1850s saw the addition of Scottish and English settlers to Westville. In the 1870s, Indian market gardeners moved into the area too. In time, the German settlers integrated with other settlers and began to speak English. Westville was proclaimed a borough in 1956. It was incorporated into the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, along with Durban and various surrounding towns, suburbs and villages as part of the post-apartheid re-organisation of South Africa's municipalities. Geography 
Westville is located in a hilly region between the uMbilo River (south) and the Palmiet River (north) and sits just above the coastal city of Durban at an elevation of between 107m (351ft) and 300m (984ft) above sea level. The town is bounded by Queensburgh to the south, Clermont to the north-west, Pinetown to the west and by the neighbourhoods of the city of Durban: Reservoir Hills to the north and Sherwood to the east. It is also centrally located to a few surrounding townships, namely Cato Manor, Clermont and Chesterville. Suburban areas 

The 2011 census listed the following areas as sub-places under the main place of Westville:

 Atholl Heights
 Berea West (the suffix "West" was added to the suburb to differentiate from the suburb of Berea in Durban approximately 6 km to the west)
 Chiltern Hills
 Dawncliffe
 Dawncrest
 Grayleigh
 Westville proper 
The northern suburbs of Atholl Heights, Chiltern Hills, Dawncrest, Grayleigh are collectively known as "Westville North". Education
Schools situated in Westville include Star College Durban Westville Boys' High School, Westville Girls' High School, Atholl Heights Primary School, Berea West Junior Primary School, Berea West Senior Primary School, Pitlochry Primary School, Westville Senior Primary and the Deutsche Schule Durban. Higher education centres include a 2-square-kilometre campus of University of KwaZulu-Natal (formerly the University of Durban-Westville) and Varsity College (Westville campus). Specialist schools such as The International Hotel School, based at the Westville Hotel, and The Fusion Cooking School can also be found in Westville. Religions
There are several churches in Westville, including the Westville Methodist Church on 38 Jan Hofmeyr Road, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on 14 Westville Road, the Westville Baptist Church on 2 Church Place, St Elizabeth's Anglican Church on 45 Salisbury Avenue, and OneCity Church, which meets at the Westville Country Club. Mosques in Westville include Habibia Soofie Masjid, a Soofie mosque, on 119 Jan Hofmeyr Road, and the Westville Jaame Musjid on 46 Meerut Road. Economy

Offices 
Westville boasts multiple business parks such as West Way Office Park and Essex Gardens in the south of Westville. Business parks in Westville are well-spread with a number of them located in the CBD and in the east of the town. These business parks are home to small businesses and huge corporations alike, most notably the headquarters for companies such as RCL Foods, Boxer Superstores, The Unlimited insurance company, Vector Logistics and Eskom (regional offices). Retail 
Although Westville is predominantly residential, it is host to The Pavillion Mall situated south of the town and ranks as the second largest shopping centre in the Greater Durban metropolitan area. A number of smaller shopping centres in the suburbs of Westville are also within easy access such as Westwood Mall (east of Westville), Westville Mall (Westville Central) and Westville Junction (Westville Central). Attractions
Tourist attractions include Palmiet Nature Reserve, which has 15 kilometres of guided and self-guided trails. Further afield tourists can experience the evergreen Western Inland Route and Natal's regional attractions, including the Drakensberg (Barrier of Spears) Battlefields Tours, game reserves and Zululand. A large Anglo-German Historical Route exists with numerous churches, museums and grave sites depicting the early settlement struggles of the early colonial days. Infrastructure

Healthcare 

Westville is served by the Life Westville Hospital, a private hospital owned by Life Healthcare Group, located south of the N3 and adjacent to The Pavillion Shopping Centre. Prison 

Westville Prison, which sits on the edge of Westville, is one of the largest prisons in the country and the only prison located in the Greater Durban area. Road 
Westville is served by four freeways, namely the N3, N2, M13 and M19. The N3 passes through the southern part of Westville, connecting it with Durban to the east and Pietermaritzburg to the north-west as the Western Freeway. The N2 bypasses Westville to the east, connecting it with the KwaDukuza and King Shaka International Airport to the north and Port Shepstone to the south as Outer Ring Road. The M13 passes through the central part of Westville, connecting it with Durban to the east and Pinetown to the west as King Cetshwayo Highway and is the untolled alternative route to the N3 (tolled in Pinetown). The M19 passes through the northern part of Westville, connecting it with Durban to the east and Pinetown to the west. A notable landmark in Westville is the E.B. Cloete Interchange, colloquially known as “Spaghetti Junction” serving as the interchange between the N2 and N3. Westville is also served by the M32 traversing SE to NW through the town from Chesterville, Durban towards New Germany, Pinetown. In its course through the town it has many names such as Harry Gwala Road, St James Avenue, Attercliffe Road, Jan Hofmeyr Road and Rodger Sishi Road. References 

Suburbs of Durban
German settlements in South Africa