Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal
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Eshowe,
Uthungulu District,
KwaZulu-Natal,
South Africa, () is the oldest town of European settlement in
Zululand. Eshowe's name is said to be inspired by the sound of wind blowing through the more than 4 km² of the indigenous
Dhlinza Forest, the most important and striking feature of the town. Although the name is most likely to be derived from the
Zulu word for the xysmalobium shrubs,
showe or
shongwe.
Today Eshowe is a market town, with a 100 km radius
catchment area, two shopping centres, a main bus station serving the hinterland, a major hospital, and several schools.
In
1860 Cetshwayo, then only a Zulu prince, built a
kraal here and named the place Eziqwaqweni
(the abode of robbers).A mission station was established at Eshowe in
1861 once permission has been obtained from the Zulu King Cetshwayo by
Norwegian missionary, the Reverend
Ommund Ofterbro. Later the station was called the
KwaMondi Mission Station (place of Mondi) after the Zulu name hich was given to Ofterbro.
Main article: Siege of Eshowe
During the
Anglo-Zulu War of
1879, Colonel
Charles Pearson lead the coastal column to Eshowe. This column encountered part of the Zulu army at
Nyezane, but after a short battle pushed on to the KwaMondi Mission which was fortified and called
Fort Eshowe. The forces under Colonel Pearson were besieged for 10 weeks until relieved on
April 3 by
Lord Chelmsford after the
Battle of Gingindlovu.
After the war Eshowe was established as the capital of Zululand and the home of the
British resident in Zululand,
Melmoth Osborne. The nearby town of
Melmoth is named afer him.
In
1887 Eshowe became the capital of Zululand and was officially declared a township in
1891.
In
1947 the British Royal Family (
King George VI,
Queen Elizabeth,
Princess Elizabeth and
Princess Margaret) visited and were welcomed in Eshowe by
King Cyprian. The family toured the Dlinza Forest and spent a night in 'The Residency' in Eshowe.
Eshowe served as the seat of the first Black Diocesan Bishops in
South Africa, of the
Anglican and
Catholic Church.
* Fort Nongqwayi - old British fort
* Basketry museum - next to the fort
* Vukani collection - Zulu pottery and handcrafts
*
Greater St Lucia Wetland Park*
Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve*
Itala Game Reserve*
Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area*
Babanango *
Empangeni*
Melmoth*
Mtunzini*
Richards Bay*
Information on tourism in Eshowe
