Wentworth was designated as "Coloured" during the apartheid era, and it came to house approximately 40 percent of the Coloured population of Durban. In 1963, the area, then called Austerville, was proclaimed a Coloured Group Area and was the destination for people removed from various communities in Durban, and later from throughout Natal, the Transkei, and the Transvaal. Wentworth is very diverse in religion, ethnicity, and origins. The community includes Mauritians and St. Helenians, as well as Afrikaans- and English-speaking peoples; it includes Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims.

According to a survey in 1990, Wentworth is poorer than the nearby Indian communities of Merebank and Isipingo, with three-fourths of the households earning less than R 2 000 per month. This poverty is a reflection of a high incidence of female-headed families. Also, approximately half of Wentworth's heads of household are artisans or industrial workers, and only five percent are professional, semi-professional, or technical workers. Many of the semi-skilled and skilled fitters and heavy construction workers are in itinerant occupations, which provide only short-term jobs.

Severe overcrowding and deplorable housing conditions have often defined the community and its perceptions of itself. The largest number of housing units are publicly-owned flats which are generally in terrible condition.

More than any other South Durban communities, Wentworth is plagued by the frequently dirty industrial plants that demarcate much of its perimeter and even penetrate neighbourhoods with noisy and odourous plants. Along the south border, the heavily traveled four-lane industrial transport corridor of Duranta Street and the walled flank of Merebank create a virtually impassable border. The Engen Refinery, "the ship that never sails," looms above Wentworth on the east, and the long belt of dirty Jacobs industries encloses the entire western boundary.

Overcrowding, social cleavages, unemployment, and the destablisation of the removals of the 1960s and 1970s have resulted in social conflicts within the community. This has been reflected in alcoholism, drug-use, and – especially in the 1970s and 1980s – youth gangs.

The post-apartheid years have seen a stirring of community consciousness and spirit in Wentworth and the organising of strong and active civic associations. Many environmental initiative have originated in South Durban in the past several years, especially concerning the Engen refinery and problems caused by the many other industries in the immediate area.

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