Eshowe is the oldest town of European settlement in Zululand, historically also known as Eziqwaqweni, Ekowe or kwaMondi. Eshowe's name is said to be inspired by the sound of wind blowing through the more than 4 km² of the indigenous

Dlinza Forest The Dlinza Forest is a subtropical forest or Coastal Scarp Forest in Eshowe, Zululand, South Africa, one of five natural forests running in a 100 km line running northwest from the coast. Others are the Ongoye, Entumeni, Nkandla and Qud ...

, 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 ''Xysmalobium'' is a genus of plants in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1810. It is native to Africa.Brown, Robert. 1810. On the Asclepiadeae 27 ;Species ;formerly included moved to other genera ''(Asclepias, Glossostel ...

'' shrubs, ''showe'' or ''shongwe''. Today Eshowe is a market town, with a 100 km radius

catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

, two shopping centres, a main bus station serving the hinterland, a major hospital, and several schools.

History

In 1860

Cetshwayo King Cetshwayo kaMpande (; ; 1826 – 8 February 1884) was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1873 to 1879 and its Commander in Chief during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. His name has been transliterated as Cetawayo, Cetewayo, Cetywajo and Ketch ...

, then only a Zulu prince, built a

kraal Kraal (also spelled ''craal'' or ''kraul'') is an Afrikaans and Dutch word, also used in South African English, for an enclosure for cattle or other livestock, located within a Southern African settlement or village surrounded by a fence of ...

here and named the place Eziqwaqweni ''(the abode of robbers)''. A mission station was established at Eshowe in 1861 once permission had been obtained from the Zulu King Cetshwayo by Norwegian missionary, the Reverend Ommund Oftebro. Later the station was called the KwaMondi Mission Station ''(place of Mondi)'' after the Zulu name which was given to Oftebro.

Siege of Eshowe

During the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coup ...

of 1879, Colonel Charles Pearson led the coastal column to Eshowe. This column encountered part of the Zulu army at the Nyezane River, but after a short battle pushed on to the KwaMondi Mission which was fortified and called

Fort Ekowe The siege of Eshowe took place during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. The siege was part of a three-pronged attack on the Zulu Impis of king Cetshwayo at Ulundi. After an incursion as far as Eshowe (then also known as Fort Ekowe or kwaMondi) Colo ...

.The Siege of Fort KwaMondi
Battlefields Route The forces under Colonel Pearson were besieged for 10 weeks until relieved on April 3 by

Lord Chelmsford Viscount Chelmsford, of Chelmsford in the County of Essex, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1921 for Frederic Thesiger, 3rd Baron Chelmsford, the former Viceroy of India. The title of Baron Chelmsford, of Chelms ...

after the

Battle of Gingindlovu The Battle of Gingindlovu (uMgungundlovu) was fought on 2 April 1879 between a British relief column sent to break the Siege of Eshowe and a Zulu impi of King Cetshwayo. Prelude Charles Pearson had led the No. 1 Column of the British inv ...

. After the British left, Eshowe was burned down by the Zulus.

Capital of Zululand

After the war Eshowe was established as the capital of Zululand and the home of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

resident in Zululand, Melmoth Osborne. The nearby town of Melmoth is named after 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 Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

) visited and were welcomed in Eshowe by

King Cyprian Cyprian Bhekuzulu Nyangayezizwe kaSolomon (4 August 1924 – 17 September 1968) was the king of the Zulu nation from 1948 until his death at Nongoma in 1968. He succeeded his father, king Solomon kaDinuzulu, after a lengthy succession dispute whi ...

. 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 Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

and Roman Catholic Church. Eshowe is still the seat of the Bishop of the Anglican

Diocese of Zululand The Diocese of Zululand is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa which covers the part of the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal that lies to the northeast of the Buffalo and Tugela Rivers. It is divided in ten archdeaconries. ...

Nearby nature conservation areas

iSimangaliso Wetland Park iSimangaliso Wetland Park (previously known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park) is situated on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, about 235 kilometres north of Durban by road. It is South Africa's third-largest protected are ...

* Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve *

Itala Game Reserve Ithala Game Reserve is situated in 290 km2 of rugged, mountainous thornveld, about 400 km north of Durban, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is one of the youngest game parks in South Africa. The altitude varies from 400 m ...

Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area The Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area was born out of the Peace park, Peace Park Foundation’s vision to establish a network of transfrontier conservation biology, conservation areas in southern Africa. It straddles the border between Sout ...

Notable people

* Malusi Gigaba - politician, former national minister * Dawn Thandeka King - actress * Culoe De Song - music producer, DJ, recording artist * Linda Sibiya (''Mr. Magic'') - former radio DJ, motivational speaker, TV personality, businessman * Phindile Gwala - actress

References

External links

Tourism vendor in EshoweMore information about Eshowe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eshowe, Kwazulu-Natal Populated places in the uMlalazi Local Municipality Populated places established in 1880 1880 establishments in South Africa