University of Natal

Former leaders

Principal

• Owen P.F. Horwood
• -1977 Francis E. Stock
• 1977-1984 N. Desmond Clarence
• 1984-1991 Peter de V. Booysen

Vice-principal, Pietermaritzburg campus

• 1976-1988 Deneys Schreiner
• 1988-1992 Colin Webb

Vice-principal, Durban campus

• -1977 N. Desmond Clarence
• 1977-1984 Peter de V. Booysen
• 1992- Christopher F. Cresswell

Post-2002

The Council of the University of Natal voted on 31 May 2002 to offer the post of Vice-Chancellor and University Principal to world-renowned medical scientist and former Medical Research Council President - Professor Malegapuru Makgoba who assumed office on the 1 September 2002. He was entrusted with leading the University of Natal into the merger with the University of Durban-Westville. In so doing, he became the last Vice-Chancellor of the University of Natal. Professor Makgoba succeeded Professor Brenda Gourley as Vice-Chancellor.

Brenda Gourley, a qualified chartered accountant, was the second last vice-chancellor of the University of Natal. Her appointment at the university in 1994 was an historical event in South Africa. She was the first woman in South Africa to be appointed as a vice-chancellor of a South African university.

The Maritime law programme based at the then Institute of Maritime Law at the University of Natal, which was pioneered under the headship of Professor Hilton Staniland, was one of the first Maritime law programmes of its kind in South Africa. The above institute was well known in South African Maritime circles. A number of South African statutes regulating the South African maritime industry were drafted by Professor Hilton Staniland at the above Institute, including the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1 of 1986 and the Wreck and Salvage Act 94 of 1996.{{Cite web | access-date = 2014-08-31

Events

Under apartheid, the Howard College Campus, in Durban, was known for the activism of its staff and students against government-imposed racial segregation. Particularly in the 1960s Natal University students were active in the non-racial National Union of South African Students, which was one of the main organizations opposing the apartheid system. In the 1970s and 1980s many of its students were members of the often-banned South African Students' Organisation (SASO), centred on the main arts centre at the Howard College campus. In addition, the university magazine Dome (named for the dome of the Howard College Building), was active against apartheid and was often banned, with the printing press being moved around to prevent its being confiscated by police.

Campus Facilities

The main science block on the Howard College campus, completed in the early 1980s, was a pivotal location for biological research and game conservation for the province. The Howard College campus in Durban was strung out along the Berea, a ridge to the north of the Durban city centre.

The Howard College campus had a number of onsite residences, named after prominent South Africans including John Bews, Ernest Jansen, Louis Botha and Mabel Palmer.

The Pietermartizburg campus was the original campus, though it later became the smaller of the two main campuses. The campus is in a suburban location, centred on the library and administration buildings. The library houses many historic books, including books on colonial history and Boer war history. Unlike the Durban campus, most students did not live in campus residences.

The Pietermaritzburg campus houses the Alan Paton Centre & Struggle Archives. Formerly called the Alan Paton Centre for the Study of the Literature and Politics of Inter-group Conciliation, this centre was opened on 24 April 1989 by Professor Colin Webb.

Alumni

• Massabalala Yengwa - lawyer, anti-apartheid activist and the Natal Provincial Secretary of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL).

References

References

1. Guest, Bill. (2009). "Stella Aurorae: Establishing KwaZulu-Natal's First University". Natal Society Foundation.
2. (14 July 2006). "Statute of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Proclamation number R.684, 2006)". Government Gazette.
3. Guest, Bill. (August 2025). "Stella Aurorae: The History of a South African University". Natal Society Foundation.
4. "HOW BELOVED IS ALAN PATON'S BELOVED COUNTRY? A HISTORICAL APPRAISAL by MORGAINNE SUE DU PLESSIS".
5. "About us • Alan Paton Centre".
6. "Concord - Newsletter March 1997".
7. "Colin de Berri Webb (1930-1992)".
8. "Theoria May 1992".
9. "Massabalala (Bonnie) Yengwa {{!}} South African History Online".