Similar to the Berea that it borders, Overport, Durban is made up of a variety of suburbs, including Overport, Sydenham, Sparks, and some areas of Essenwood. The steep neighbourhood has historically been located at the base of the city’s ridge, which runs from Morningside to the University of Durban on either end. Its borders are defined by Julia, Springfield, Essenwood (Stephen Dlamini), and Brickfield (Felix Dlamini) roads.
At the central crossroads of the neighbourhood, where Peter Mokaba meets Overport Drive, are Ridge Park College (previously Berea Girls’ High), McCord Hospital, and Overport City (now Atrium Berea shopping centre).
Today, Overport, Durban is a multicultural city with many Indian-influenced major thoroughfares, Hindu temples, and Islamic mosques dominating its western flank. The Soofie Masjid in Overport, which is located at 64 Glenearn Road, has particularly striking minarets.
And at Overport, Durban, you won’t go hungry. The atmosphere is dominated by Halaal pizza joints, fabric and textile stores, and a Halaal butchery that sells grass-fed meat from free-range farms. The newest Chippewa Spur is Halaal as well.
Particularly in Brickfield and Sparks, Felix Dlamini and Moses Kotane are teeming with restaurants, bakeries, markets selling fresh produce, clothes shops, dressmakers, and salons for hair and beauty. Brickfield Road has been enlarged and, happily, improved where it was once a congested, two-way road.
The one and the only issue is parking. It makes sense that Overport would be busy, thus locating a parking spot could require more than a few laps around the block.