h a population of 774. One of the "highlights" of the 1930s was the arrival of Gracie Fields, a popular singer at the time. Electricity was introduced to the town in 1938; being voted in by a small majority after Alan Allen campaigned on the benefits of electricity. Telephone lines were installed in 1945, and the manually operated telephone exchange was located at the railway station. Running water was introduced in 1949 by the first mayor of Amanzimtoti, Mr Olaf Bjorseth. Before the introduction of running water, residents used to collect rain water from the roofs of their houses. The first petrol pump in the town was owned and operated by Mr and Mrs Silverstone, who also ran a store called "The Silverstones". The first post office was situated on the railway station, next door to Mrs Morton's Tea Room. Mrs North was the first post-mistress. The post office and telephone exchange were moved to the Telephone Exchange building in Bjorseth Crescent in the late 1940s/ early 1950s.
Amanzimtoti offered refuge to many Middle Eastern and British evacuees during the Second World War, many of whom were housed in holiday cottages and private homes.When first a school was started at Toti Town Hall, Dr Frickle paid for two teacher's salaries out of money he made at his clinic selling "No 9s" (red pills "from the army"), which he purportedly prescribed "for everything". Miss Burns (who ran the Guides) held the first Arbour Day in Natal, and along with 16 Guides, planted 60 Erythrina lysistemon trees along Beach Road. These trees "blazed red" when in flower and were known as the "glory of Beach Road" - and for this reason, the Coral Tree is included in the Crest of Amanzimtoti.These trees were however cut down in the 1950s when Beach Road was widened and tarred. The first newspapers to be produced in the town were attributed to Ivor Language, and the first issue of The Observer was printed in July 1955. Before this, newspapers had been brought in by train from Durban
