Phoenix

History

The township was founded initially as a sugarcane estate. After the passing of the Group Areas Act, a law which designated specific regions for occupation by specific races, Phoenix became an Indian township. Sections were initially labelled as precincts or units, and then later renamed with proper street addresses. Following the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court, riots broke out in KwaZulu-Natal on July 9, 2021. Phoenix was among the towns affected. Shops were looted and property was vandalised. Due to a lack of police response during the riots, citizen militias formed to patrol the town and set up roadblocks to prevent rioters from entering the area and looters from absconding with stolen goods. Physical altercations then occurred between the Phoenix community and interlopers from the nearby predominantly black community of Inanda. Police Minister Bheki Cele claimed that 20 deaths occurred in Phoenix as a result of such clashes. The riots exacerbated racial tensions between the Indian and black communities in the area, and led to accusations of racism at the Indian community by the black community. Following the unrest, supporters of Zuma marched to protest the Phoenix killings.

Most-observed species

• Hadada Ibis

  Bostrychia hagedash (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  4,829
• Red-eyed Dove

  Streptopelia semitorquata (Rüppell, 1837) · Aves
  4,126
• Red-winged Starling

  Onychognathus morio (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,706
• Bronze mannikin

  Lonchura cucullata (Swainson, 1837) · Aves
  3,206
• Cape White-eye

  Zosterops virens Sundevall, 1850 · Aves
  2,991
• Black-collared Barbet

  Lybius torquatus (Dumont, 1805) · Aves
  2,862
• Spectacled Weaver

  Ploceus ocularis A.Smith, 1828 · Aves
  2,852
• Egyptian Goose

  Alopochen aegyptiaca (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,794

Most recent

• M 3.7 — 2016-02-06
  South Africa
• M 4.3 — 2015-06-16
  19 km ESE of Sundumbili, South Africa