THE Edwin Swales Drive, now known as Solomon Mahlangu Drive, which connects The Bluff to Durban CBD and the harbour, was named in honour of Major Edwin Essery “Ted” Swales.

Swales, a South African air force pilot, was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery during the World War II in Germany in 1945.

Also read: Heavy trucks raise concerns among The Bluff residents

Background

In 2007 eThekwini Municipality renamed Edwin Swales Drive to Solomon Mahlangu Drive. The aim was to commemorate the anti-apartheid activist and member of the ANC’s armed wing, uMkhonto weSizwe, Solomon Mahlangu.

Swales was born in Inanda in 1915. According to Ancre Somme Association Charity,  Swales was one of four children born in Inanda, Durban, to Harry Evelyn Swales, a farmer in the Heatonville district, and Olive Miriam Essery.

After leaving school, and prior to the Second World War, he worked for Barclays Bank in Durban. Swales had joined the Natal Mounted Rifles before the war, rising to the rank of Sergeant Major. 

“With the Natal Mounted Rifles in the early part of the War, he saw action in Kenya, Abyssinia and in North Africa. He then transferred to the South African Air Force on 17 January 1942. He received his wings at Kimberley on 26 June 1943. On August 22, 1943, he was seconded to the Royal Air Force while retaining his South African Air Force uniform and rank,” the association said in a statement.

In an article published in the Southlands Sun on September, 3, 2019, Swales ‘sacrificed his life in order to give the crew of his badly damaged bomber aircraft time to bail out and parachute to safety in February 1945’.

According to information published in Ulwazi Programme, on March 2, 1977, Mahlangu was sentenced to death by hanging. On April 6, 1979, “he faced the gallows and met his death at the age of 23 years”.

Economic impact

1. Heavy trucks carrying goods and hazardous substances travel on this route to get to the Durban Harbour and to transport goods to/from supermarkets on The Bluff.
2. The highway is also used by workers and commercial vehicles as a quick access to the industrial hubs in Clairwood.
3. It is also a vital commuter road for thousands of people living in the south of Durban who travel to work either in the Durban Port or Durban CBD.

Traffic congestion

1. The road is known for being highly congested in the morning and afternoon which has a negative impact on businesses.
2. As a major highway it helps attract investments to the city by improving accessibility to key economic zones. It is a major logistics corridor, linking the port, industrial areas and residential suburbs.

Historical links to The Bluff

1. The road, by being named after the South African pilot air force member, connects residents with military history. Strengthening the symbolic significance, many residents on The Bluff worked in the industries linked to the port and some served in the military.

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