Leave Eshowe on the R66 towards Melmoth and after about 5kms turn off to the right on the P230. The first point of interest on this route is the imposing Mandawe Church which has panoramic views of the Mhlatuze valley and Phobane Lake.
King Shaka Route
King Shaka Route
Leave Eshowe on the R66 towards Melmoth and after about 5kms turn off to the right on the P230.
The first point of interest on this route is the imposing Mandawe Church which has panoramic views of the Mhlatuze valley and Phobane Lake.
The Life & Times of Kings Shaka |
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Senzangakhona, is chief of a small clan known as the Zulu. Shaka is born near present-day Melmoth sometime in the mid-1780's. His mother, Nandi, is a member of the eLangeni tribe and his father is Senzangakhona. Shaka's parents' marriage fails and Nandi is forced to take refuge amongst the Mthethwa clan. Shaka's mother is buried in a simple grave about 3kms off this road. Nandi featured prominently in Shaka's life and it is believed that her death in early August 1827 from dysentery was followed by a prolonged period of mourning during which many people were killed for not displaying adequate grief. Henry Francis Fynn, a white trader and traveller in Zululand during Shaka's reign, heard - though he was not allowed to witness the burial of Nandi - that 'ten maidens' were buried alive with Nandi to care for her in the afterworld. |
1780 | The social system of the Nguni people is based on a network of numerous clans, each numbering no more than 1 000 in population and occupying no more than about 2 000 hectares. |
| Shaka is taken under the wing of Dingiswayo, the powerful leader of the Mthethwa, and proves himself as a promising young soldier. | 1800 | The people survive on subsistence farming with the womenfolk responsible for the growing of crops such as maize, sorghum, pumpkins and beans while the men build the distinctive beehive homesteads woven with saplings and grass. Their most important task is to tend their herds of cattle which provide meat and milk. |
| Senzangakhona dies and Shaka is named Chief of the Zulu. Shaka immediately imposes a ramrod discipline over his troops and develops innovative battle strategies. |
1816 | It is said his men can march over 80 kms in under 24 hours with no food and little water and then still fight a full-scale battle. |
King Shaka establishes his capital at kwaBulawayo. |
1819 | After Shaka's victory against his fiercest rivals at the Battle of Gqokli Hill, more and more clans tender their allegiance to the Zulu clan and call themselves Zulu. By now, Shaka reigns supreme and is absolute master of practically all clans and chiefdoms north of Thukela river and south of Phongolo river. |
| Shaka's influence extends to the foothills of the Drakensberg and uMzimkhulu river in the south. | 1824 | British settlers establish a base at Port Natal (Durban) and thrive under Shaka's protection, hunting for ivory and trading with the Zulus. |
| Nandi dies of dysentry and this is followed by a period of mourning during which thousands of people are reportedly killed. Resistance to his rule develops within the Royal Family. | 1827 | Shaka moves his capital to kwaDukuza (Stanger) to increase his authority south of the Thukela River. |
| Shaka is assassinated by his two half-brothers, Dingane and Mhlangana. Dingane is declared the new king. | 1828 | King Dingane is obliged to embark on an extensive purge of pro-Shaka chiefs in order to secure his position. |
Phobane Lake
Phobane Lake
Phobane Lake in the Nkwaleni Valley between Eshowe and Melmoth was constructed on the uMhlatuze River by the Department of Water Affairs more than 25 years ago to provide an assured water supply to the developing port and industrial complex at Richards Bay.
It is about 14 kms in length and has a massive capacity of 300 million cubic metres.
There are no tourist facilities in the lake's vicinity but it is a popular fresh water fishing site.
Mandawe Church
Mandawe Church
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Leave Eshowe on the R66 towards Melmoth and after about 5kms turn off to the right on the P230. The first point of interest on this route is the imposing Mandawe Church which has panoramic views of the Mhlatuze valley and Phobane Lake. To visit Mandawe Church, drive along the gravel P230 for 7,4kms then turn left onto the rough track which leads after 2,2kms to the church. This track may be impassable after rain, but if you don't mind the bumpy ride, the excursion to the little church with its panoramic views is well worth while. The church is built with local rock and the steeple is in the shape of an inverted wooden Zulu milking pail. |
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Return to the P230 and just before reaching the prominent Tap Tap Liquor Store, there is small group of trees shading the single grave of a British solder buried here in 1888. The grave stone reads: "Erected to the memory of Private George Milne, D Company, The Royal Scots, who was killed by accident while on the march on the 19th of July 1888, aged 22 years. This stone was erected by his comrade soldiers." |
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