In 1908, Henry Richardson, an English surveyor laid out the town and named it Margate after another seaside resort on the northern coast of the county of Kent, in the United Kingdom. Margate hit the world headlines in 1922 when an enormous, white, furry creature was washed up on the beach. The "Margate monster" was too decomposed to be identified accurately.
Geography
Margate is situated on the Indian Ocean coastline about 15 km south-west of Port Shepstone and 127 km southwest of Durban. It is situated between Uvongo and Ramsgate in which Uvongo lies north and Ramsgate lies south.
Economy
The central business district is mainly centered on Uplands Road where the Margate Pavilion can be found and Marine Drive where Margate Mall, Desroches Hotel, Margate Hotel, many restaurants and holiday apartments are located. Marine Drive, Margate's main and busiest road has holiday accommodation and many public facilities stringed along the road. Notables hotels on Marine Drive include Desroches Hotel and Margate Hotel. Margate Mall with Shoprite and the Margate Post Office are also located on Marine Drive. All bank branches in Margate are located on Marine Drive and they include FNB, Capitec Bank, African Bank, ABSA, Nedbank and Standard Bank. Notable restaurants along Marine Drive include Wimpy, RJ's, KFC, Steers, Tiago's, Lilly's Bread Bin and Friar Tuck. Volkswagen and Audi also have delearship centres on Marine Drive except this is on the R620 side of Marine Drive.
Tourism
With Margate being a major seaside resort, majority of its economy comes from tourism. Signs of this can be found on the coastline where hotels and holiday accommodation apartments lie. Reputable hotels and holiday accommodation in Margate include the Margate Hotel, Margate Sands, Seagull Holiday Flats and the Desroches Hotel. It features Blue Flag Beaches for swimming, snorkelling, and surfing. Many apartment buildings offer accommodation for residents and visitors. It also contains a shopping street and many restaurants, pubs, and nightclubs, Margate is a spot where many South Africans and foreign visitors spend their vacation. Margate is busiest during school and public holidays when inland residents travel to the coast. Christmas and Easter are especially busy times, with Margate's main street often clogged with heavy traffic during these times. Margate is one of the most visited tourist destinations in South Africa and had the third highest inflow of new visitors in December 2019 in South Africa after Plettenberg Bay and Mossel Bay in the Western Cape Province. This means that Margate had the highest inflow of new visitors in December 2019 in KwaZulu-Natal.
Beaches
Beaches within Margate include Lucien Beach and Margate Main Beach which were previously Blue Flag Beaches as well as Manaba Beach.
Snorkeling & Diving
The warm Indian Ocean flows across this wonderful coastline providing it with an abundance of beautiful tropical fish and coral reefs. Vast shoals of game fish and large groups of sharks congregating around diving sites such as Protea Banks, makes scuba diving, snorkelling and diving a 'must' in Margate. Other fantastic diving sites include Adda Reef, Deep Salmon, Bo Boyi Reefa and Potato Reef. Besides the spectacular species of game fish and corals, one can also discover and explore the deep caves in these waters which become another water world all on its own. Other exciting water sport activities include canoeing, boardsailing, boating and skiing.
Buildings and infrastructure
Hospitals
Margate has one hospital which is the Netcare Margate Hospital, a private hospital lying just west of the central business district.
Shopping Centres
Shopping centres in Margate include the Margate Mall, Hibiscus Mall, Margate Centre and Emoyeni Centre at the taxi rank. Larger shopping centres can be found in Shelly Beach which includes South Coast Mall and Shelly Centre.
Margate is mainly situated on the R61 and the R620. The R61 is a tolled highway which connects to Port Shepstone and Port Edward. It also intersects with the N2 in Port Shepstone which links to Durban and Kokstad. It has an off ramp in Margate, Exit 33 which connects to Seaslopes Avenue. Seaslopes Avenue then connects to the western side of Margate, Margate Country Club as well as Manaba Beach and Uvongo. The R620 is an alternative to the toll road of the R61 and connects to Uvongo, Shelly Beach and Port Shepstone in the north and Ramsgate and Southbroom. The R620 is known as Marine Drive until it intersects with Margate's main road, just south of Manaba Beach. The name Marine Drive is then used for the main road and then the R620 becomes National Road after the intersection and bypasses Margate Central. It regains the name Marine Drive when it meets with the main road with the same name. Other main roads in Margate include Wartski Drive and Izotsha Road.
Local newspapers in Margate include the South Coast Herald and South Coast Fever which also serve the whole KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. The Ugu Youth Radio is a youth radio which is based in Port Shepstone and caters to the needs of the Zulu-speaking community. Other radios which serve Margate and surroundings include East Coast Radio, Gagasi FM, Vuma FM and Ukhozi FM which are based in the city of Durban.
Sports and Recreation
The Margate Country Club is located on the outskirts of Margate. Other recreational facilities in Margate include the Margate Caravan Park and Pumlani Caravan Park.
Arts and Culture
located just opposite the Ray Nkonyeni municipal offices is the largest art gallery in KwaZulu-Natal, that is the title that the Margate Art Museum has claimed. Touring art and craft exhibitions are regularly hosted by the Margate Art Museum, but it also has an extensive collection of local arts and crafts.
