Durban's Rickshaw pullers have been a popular feature of the city, and especially the beach front area, since the early 1890's. The colourful rickshaws and the interestingly dressed men with beaded costumesand horned head gear, where introduced by sugar magnate Sir Marshall Campbell, as a means of transport for his wife, which he had previously seen in India.

By 1903 an estimated two thousand rickshaw pullers were operating in Durban, taking daily commuters and tourists through the city. Unfortunately between the early sixties and the mid nineteen seventies, their numbers started to decrease. Presently there are less than two dozen rickshaw pullers operating along the beachfront, and none in the city.

The last few rickshaws which remain in Durban offer their service almost exclusively to the tourist trade on the Marine Parade, though the rides still serve as an excellent way to view the local sights, and provide visitors both young and old with much delight.