10 Places of interest found on Route 66 Zululand Heritage
16. Oct, 2009
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Following my recent trip to Zululand where I gave an account about the experience through a post titled “I’ve discovered Route 66 the Zulu Heritage, have you?“, below are additional places of interest with a brief history…
Grave of John Dunn – John Dunn, the legendary white chief of King Cetshwayo, moved to his farm at Emoyeni after the Anglo Zulu War where he died and was buried in 1895 having married 48 zulu wives and fathering at least 117 children. (I might also add, the Dunn surname is popular with people of mixed race in Swaziland).
John Dunn’s Pool – At the time when hippos and crocodiles were regularly found in the Mlalazi River, Dunn dug a pool on the banks of the river to provide safe bathing for his large family.
Battle of Gingindlovu – At dawn on 2 April 1879 the British camp at Gingindlovu was attacked by six regiments of about 10,000 Zulu soldiers under the leadership of Prince Dabulamanzi. The battle raged for almost two hours and despite the bravery of the soldiers – the Zulu impi was forced to retreat due to the superior firepower of the British which included the Gatling guns and artillery. A granite memorial very close to the R66 pays tribute to those soldiers who lost their lives in the Battle of Gingindlovu.
Battle of Nyezana – The first attack on the British in the Anglo Zulu War happened on 22 January 1879 while Colonel Charles Pearson and about 3,000 men were taking breakfast break before beginning the climb from coastal plains towards the higher ground of Eshowe.
Grave of Shaka’s mother, Nandi – Nandi featured prominently in Shaka’s life and her death in early August 1827 was followed by a prolonged period of mourning.
KwaMondi – KwaMondi Mission Station was founded in 1869 by Rev Ommund Oftebro (known by the Zulus as ‘Mondi’) of the Norwegian Mission Society during the reign of King Mpande who had followed the Christian missionaries into Zululand.
Martyr’s Cross – Martyr’s Cross marks the site of the execution of the first Zulu Christian martyr, Maqhamusela Khanyile, who was killed on 9 March 1877 for refusing to fight in King Cetshwayo’s army. His body was never recovered.
Siyaya Coastal Park – The Siyaya Coastal Park – about 42kms of unspoilt coastline – stretches from the mouth of the Mlalazi River to the southern boundary of the Amatigulu Nature Reserve. It includes two nature reserves as well as prestine coastal dune forest, mangrove forests, swamp forest, grassland and ilala palm bushveld.
Ndondakusika – The area besides the R102 and the Thukela River was the site of South Africa’s bloodiest battle when six of King Mpande sons fought a ruthless battle of succession. Cetshwayo emerged the strongest contender but thousands were slaughtered or drowned.
Grave of Piet Retief and his followers – After trekking into Natal the boer leader Piet Retief and a group of 70 of his followers met with King Dingane in February 1838. After signing an agreement granting the Voortrekkers land concessions in Zululand King Dingane invited the group to lay down their weapons and celebrate the occasion at his royal residence. During the dancing the King ordered his soldiers to kill Retief and his party. They were dragged away to a place of execution and clubbed to death.
Taken from the Route 66 Zululand Heritage brochure, available to all tourists visiting the Route 66…visit www.visitzululand.co.za for bookings.
My name is Muzi Mohale a full-time travel blogger, your host at Travelwires.com responsible for all editorial on this blog. I blog about the travel and tourism industry in Africa. Apart from blogging about tourism, I also run 
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