Civic action, small-scale but important improvements and neighbourly warmth are reshaping this tiny place into a more optimistic community.

Howick is perfect for all the things it is not, pretentious being one of them. On Saturday, the main street has old-trading-post vibes, with farmers, second-hand dealers and coffee roasters doing business alongside chain stores.

Made with Flourish · Create interactive contentThe Midlands Meander, with its Nelson Mandela Capture Site, craft breweries and country eateries, offers a postcard version of the place, but the town itself is humbler and more grounded.

Howick is in the middle of the Meander. It is also the seat of the uMngeni Municipality, which services a vast, disparate area including Howick, wealthy nodes like Hilton and Nottingham Road, and poor, service-constrained Mpophomeni.

Howick is 124km from King Shaka International Airport. Turn off the N2 when you see Midmar Dam. A few roads lead into the town, some with less flattering views than others, giving a quick sense of the wealth disparity and governance challenges.

In 1849, the Brits established a town at the uMngeni River crossing and called it Howick because the secretary of state for the colonies, Earl Grey, had recently acquired the title of Lord Howick.

Fast-forward 176 years, and Howick and uMngeni are synonymous with the smart, young, white, gay, fluent...