Hope the week's been good to you. Saturday is the one to save — 27°C, partly cloudy, sea at 22°. That's beach weather without the excuses. Get down there while it lasts; Sunday cools off a touch and the clouds thicken.

This week: KZN listeners told ECR what makes this province the best (spoiler: it's the people, the food, the weather, and the fact that someone will always offer you the last piece of chicken). Plus Jomba! Contemporary Dance Festival opens Tuesday with a Venice Biennale Silver Lion winner on stage, the Sharks face the Lions in a must-win Currie Cup clash, and TEDxDurban takes over ONE Tamarind on Saturday.

Here's your week.

What makes KZN the best? The province has spoken.
ECR's East Coast Breakfast asked their audience one question: what makes KZN the best? What they got back wasn't one answer — it was stories, food recommendations, passionate speeches, and more than a few mentions of bunny chow. The consensus: KZN has soul. It's in the way different cultures — Zulu, Indian, English and everything in between — have woven together over generations. It's in the weather (no winter to speak of), the Indian Ocean on the doorstep, the beach-and-bush-and-Berg trifecta, and the particular Durban hospitality that is, apparently, best measured by whether someone offers you the last piece of chicken on the braai. (Source: ECR)

Saturday is the day. 27°C, sea at 22°, enough cloud to keep the glare off — perfect beach conditions. Friday is overcast but mild. Sunday softens back to 23°. One clear window this weekend: Saturday morning on the promenade.

💧 Water shutdown: Chatsworth and surrounding areas
eThekwini is carrying out planned maintenance — Chatsworth and a number of surrounding areas are affected. Check whether your area is on the list before the weekend. (Source: ECR)

🐟 Durban piers producing pompano
The piers are firing — pompano running along the beachfront, right in the city. Good news for anyone with a line in the water this weekend. (Source: ECR)

🌍 Durban pitches itself as India-Africa gateway
At Invest India 2026, Durban positioned itself as the natural gateway for India-Africa investment — pointing to the port, the infrastructure, and the city's deep Indian cultural ties. A quiet diplomatic moment worth knowing about. (Source: Rising Sun)

🎭 Jomba! Contemporary Dance Experience — opens Tuesday 25 August

Durban is about to host one of Africa's great cultural moments, and most people don't know it's coming.

The 28th JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience opens at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on Tuesday 25 August and runs through 6 September — 13 days of world-class contemporary dance across four Durban venues: the Sneddon, the KZNSA Gallery, Square Space Theatre, and the Stable Theatre.

The headline: SA choreographer Mamela Nyamza returns to Durban fresh off winning the Silver Lion for Dance at the 2026 Venice Biennale — one of the highest honours in international contemporary dance. She brings her new ensemble work The Herd/Less to the festival. Legacy Artist PJ Sabbagha opens the festival on Tuesday with Noah, a multimedia work exploring loss, love and letting go.

Artists arrive from South Africa, France, Jamaica, Spain, Nigeria, Uganda, Ireland, Tanzania and Brazil. There are free workshops running alongside the programme, led by the visiting choreographers — open to dancers and curious observers alike.

If you've never been to JOMBA!, this is the year to go. (Source: jomba.ukzn.ac.za)

🎨 Last chance: iDla ngamabala — KZNSA Gallery
Thobani Khanyile's debut solo exhibition closes Sunday 23 August. If you haven't been, this weekend is your last opportunity. (Source: kznsagallery.co.za)

🎻 Thu 20 Aug — KZN Philharmonic Orchestra: Early Spring Symphony
The Phil opens its Early Spring season at the Playhouse Opera Theatre — an evening of symphony in one of Durban's most beautiful performance spaces. Worth dressing up for.
📅 Thursday 20 August · Playhouse Opera Theatre · Book via Quicket

🎨 Thu 20 Aug — Passion Paint and Sip: Mediterranean Mira
Wine, paint, and a Mediterranean theme at Cafe Mira. No experience required — just a willingness to see what happens.
📅 Thursday 20 August · Cafe Mira · Book via Quicket

💃 Fri 21 Aug — Aunty Shamilla Ladies Night — Protea Fire & Ice Umhlanga
One of SA's sharpest comedians brings her Ladies Night to Umhlanga. An evening of laughs, warmth, and the particular energy Aunty Shamilla always delivers.
📅 Friday 21 August · Protea Hotel Fire & Ice, Umhlanga Ridge · Book via Quicket

🎬 Fri 21 Aug — Power24 International Film Festival
An international film festival at Southern Sun Garden Court, South Beach — short films, features, and the kind of cinema you won't find at a multiplex. Running through the weekend.
📅 Friday 21 August · Southern Sun Garden Court, South Beach · Book via Quicket

🎵 Sat 22 Aug — Soulville in Bloom
Soul music and a Saturday afternoon at 3 Southampton Street — the name says it all.
📅 Saturday 22 August · 3 Southampton St · Book via Quicket

🎺 Sun 23 Aug — Trumpet and Organ: Music from the Movies
Trumpet and organ playing film scores in a church — St Cyprian's Anglican Church, Sunday afternoon. Unexpectedly wonderful.
📅 Sunday 23 August · St Cyprian's Anglican Church · Book via Quicket

🏨 Fri 21 Aug — SARF KZN Women's Day Celebration — The Oyster Box
A Women's Day celebration at the Oyster Box in Umhlanga — one of KZN's most iconic addresses. An evening worth marking.
📅 Friday 21 August · The Oyster Box Hotel · Book via Quicket

🎤 Sat 22 Aug — TEDxDurban Summit 2026
Ideas worth spreading, Durban edition — TEDxDurban's annual summit at ONE Tamarind. A full day of local and global thinkers. One of the city's better Saturday commitments.
📅 Saturday 22 August · ONE Tamarind · Book via Quicket

🙏 Sat 22 Aug — Hymns According to Fisani — Durban Playhouse
The 3rd annual Hymns According to Fisani live concert comes to Durban — a powerful worship experience by Fisani Masinga at one of the city's most celebrated venues.
📅 Saturday 22 August · Durban Playhouse · From R300 · Tickets via Webtickets

🚶 Sat 22 Aug — The Connection Walk — Kenneth Stainbank
A morning walk through Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve — the kind of Saturday that clears your head before the week ahead. Sunday session also available (50–65 age group).
📅 Book Sunday version: here

🏔️ Sun 23 Aug — Ultimate Shongweni Challenge — Westown
A serious outdoor challenge at Westown, Shongweni — if you're looking for a Sunday that earns its rest, this is it.
📅 Sunday 23 August · Westown, Shongweni · Book via Quicket

🛍️ EVERY SATURDAY — Shongweni Farmers & Craft Market
Over 250 local traders on a hill in the Shongweni Valley, overlooking the Ngede Falls — fresh produce, deli, crafts, street food from everywhere, live music from 10am, a zipline if you're feeling ambitious, and craft beer if you're not. Every Saturday, 7am–1pm. Get there early. (Source: shongwenimarket.co.za)

🛍️ EVERY WEEKEND — Ballito Farmers Market
Over 150 traders on the KZN North Coast — fresh produce, flowers, artisan food, local retail, live music and a dedicated kids' paddock. Open every Saturday and Sunday, 8am–2pm, on the R102 between Umhlali and Shakaskraal (Salt Rock turn-off from the N2 heading north). (Source: ballitofarmersmarket.co.za)

🍷 Thu 20 Aug — Wines of Elgin: Two Durban Venues, One Evening
The Wines of Elgin tasting tour hits Durban on Thursday — at Bellevue Café and Grimaldi's Umhlanga on the same night. Cool-climate wines from the Elgin Valley, in two of the city's better settings. Choose your venue.
📅 Thursday 20 August · Bellevue Café → Book via Quicket

· Grimaldi's Umhlanga → Book via Quicket

🍷 Tue 25 Aug — Vinatix Wine Evening — Oxford Liquormarket Hillcrest
A Tuesday evening of wine tasting at Oxford Liquormarket in Hillcrest — a relaxed mid-week pause worth building around.
📅 Tuesday 25 August · Oxford Liquormarket, Hillcrest · Book via Quicket

🍷 Wed 26 Aug — Wine Wednesday: Jordan's Wine Estate — Umhlanga
Jordan's wine lands in Umhlanga for a midweek tasting. A Wednesday that earns it.
📅 Wednesday 26 August · Umhlanga · More info

🎤 Wed 26 Aug — Jennifer Zamudio @ Barnyard Suncoast
Jennifer Zamudio takes the Barnyard stage on Wednesday evening — live music at one of Durban's favourite intimate venues.
📅 Wednesday 26 August · Barnyard Theatre, Suncoast · More info

🎤 Fri 28 Aug - TEEKS is coming to Durban
Soul sensation TEEKS — New Zealand's most distinctive R&B voice — is bringing his show to Durban. (Source: The Citizen)

⚽ AmaZulu: captain confident ahead of new season
AmaZulu's captain is backing the team for a competitive PSL season — confidence in the camp ahead of the new campaign kicking off. (Source: SABC Sport)

🏉 Sharks Women lead Bok Women A in historic test
A Sharks playmaker leads the Springbok Women A side in a historic test — Women's Month delivered on the rugby field too. (Source: Rugby365)

🏉 Sharks vs Lions — Friday 21 August, Woodburn Stadium, PMB
After the All Blacks humbling, the Sharks need a response. Deon Slabbert returns to bolster the backline as the Sharks take on the Lions in a must-win Currie Cup fixture — this one away from home at Woodburn Stadium in Pietermaritzburg. Kick-off 19:15. The season needs this one.
(Sources: IOL · SA Rugby)

🎵 Durban R&B artist Nanette on her new project
Durban's own Nanette speaks to Time Out about her new project and the future of African R&B — a local voice making moves worth following. (Source: Time Out)

🏆 KwaMashu-born Zakes Bantwini named Corona's first African brand ambassador
Grammy Award-winning musician Zakes Bantwini — born and raised in KwaMashu — has been named Corona South Africa's first-ever African brand ambassador, fronting the brand on his European summer tour across Palma de Mallorca, Lisbon, Hamburg and Berlin. Back home, the partnership comes to life through his own Mayonie Open Air festival, with Durban as one of the two host cities. A KZN story gone global. (Source: News24)

A Nobel-worthy novel, born of this province
Before he changed the world's understanding of South Africa, Alan Paton was simply a son of this province — born in Pietermaritzburg in 1903, and spending his final years at Botha's Hill, just inland of Durban. His anti-apartheid novel Cry, the Beloved Country, published in 1948, brought the injustices of apartheid to a global audience at a moment when the world needed to understand them. Paton was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature multiple times — many believe he should have won it. One of the most important South African novels ever written, and it began here.

What's the one thing about KZN that you'd never trade for anywhere else? Hit reply — we'd love to know.

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