Discover Uthungulu: History and Culture

When planning a trip to Uthungulu, you can begin your hotel search with a thematic question: Are you most interested in the history of the Zulu kings, the legacy of named figures, or the connection to the R66? Connections in Uthungulu include a site associated with General Ndlela kaSompisi, the graves of King Cetshwayo and Queen Nandi, and Fort Nongqayi and the Ongoye Forest Reserve along the R66.

Historical Figures and Places

The Ndlela kaSompisi site was associated with Ndlela kaSompisi, an important general to the Zulu kings Shaka and Dingane. This connection links the place to a figure whose history is tied to two kings. This is a different approach from the named graves: here, the focus is on the connection between the site and the general.

For King Cetshwayo, his place of death and place of burial should be distinguished: he died in Eshowe. His grave is in the Mome area near Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal; he was buried on 10 April 1884 in the valley below Nkandla Forest, near the home of Luhungu Shezi. The date and locations give his burial its own historical context and clearly distinguish it from the place where he died.

Queen Nandi’s grave is outside Eshowe on the old road to Empangeni. This gives the two royal figures different geographical connections: for Cetshwayo, Eshowe as the place of death and the Mome area as the burial site should be distinguished; Nandi’s grave is located outside Eshowe on the road to Empangeni. For your thematic planning, this distinction helps keep their respective stories from being reduced to a single location.

The R66 offers another point of reference. Places along the road include both the Ongoye Forest Reserve and Fort Nongqayi. Their shared connection to the R66 complements the personal and royal history themes with a different perspective on the named places in Uthungulu.

Uthungulu within the wider destination of Kwazulu-Natal

The wider destination of Kwazulu-Natal brings other nature and culture themes into view. The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park is designated an Important Bird Area. The Maloti-Drakensberg Park contains an estimated 690 rock art sites. Its rock art forms the largest and most concentrated group of rock paintings in southern Africa south of the Sahara. The park also provides an important refuge for more than 250 endemic plant species. This regional perspective thus brings together rock art and plant life with the recognized importance of a protected area for birds.

Sibhudu Cave also belongs to this broader context of Kwazulu-Natal. It is a site within the serial World Heritage property “The Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour: The Pleistocene Occupation Sites of South Africa”. The World Heritage property preserves exceptionally well-stratified and dated sediment records of early human life from about 162,000 to 38,000 years ago. This time frame offers a distinct perspective on early human history among the region’s themes.

Another historical thread leads to the Phoenix Settlement in Kwazulu-Natal: its historic section is closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s last decade in South Africa and his development of Satyagraha. Kwazulu-Natal’s Zulu, Indian, and colonial heritage is also reflected in historical and cultural walking trails. Alongside the figures and places in Uthungulu, the wider destination therefore offers other cultural themes to consider when choosing the focus of your trip.

Discover more destinations: Mtunzini, Kwambonambi, Van Reenen, Eshowe, Emangusi, Nomcondo, St Lucia Park, Elgin, eNkovukeni.

View the wider travel guide: Kwazulu-Natal.