Louwsburg is a small town in northern

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

, Louwsburg was a small village named after a farmer, Louw, who donated his farm Toggevonden for establishing of the town in 1925. Louwsburg Mountain Scapes

Cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

, Vegetable and

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

farming are the primary economic activities. The town was proclaimed Louwsburg in 1920 and named after Dawid Louw, a pioneer in the area. The town's Zulu name, Ngotshe, means "cave", though its location is hidden by old towns People. The town is set in a broader region designated as eNgotshe. The town's main tourist attraction is the adjacent

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 ...

Origin

Dawid Louw (1850-1927) was a member of Lucas Meijer's

boer Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...

commando, which in 1884, reacted to Dinuzulu's plea for help against his uncle

Zibhebhu Zibhebhu kaMaphitha Zulu (c. 1841–1904) (also called Usibepu/Ziphewu) was a Zulu chief. After the defeat of the Zulu Kingdom by the British, he attempted to create his own independent kingdom. From 1883 to 1884, he fought the Zulu king Cetshway ...

, who was usurping the throne. In return for their overthrow of Usibepu, they were granted land in northern Zululand, the future

Nieuwe Republiek The Nieuwe Republiek ("New Republic") was a small Boer republic which existed from 1884 to 1888 in present-day South Africa. It was recognised only by Germany and the South African Republic. Its independence was proclaimed on 16 August 1884, ...

. Upon the commando's return from the campaign, Louw was given a farm by the king, and decided to build his farm house on the eastern slope of Louw's Mountain. Here he had the benefit of easy access to water and labour, and named his farm Toggevonden. Louwsburg is also known to have many caves and is also home to an old settlers grave yard situated at GPS Coordinates -27.568623, 31.293766.

Demographics and development

Louwsburg is situated near

Vryheid Vryheid (/Abaqulusi) is a coal mining and cattle ranching town in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Vryheid is the Afrikaans word for "freedom", while its original name of Abaqulusi reflects the AbaQulusi (Zulu), abaQulusi clan based in the loc ...

. The majority of people living in this area are Zulus, but a fair number of

white South African White South Africans are South Africans of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch East India Company's original colonists, known as Afr ...

s and other groups also live here. Louwsburg continues to grow annually, though slowly. Residents blame the town council for being ineffective and unfair. The town has one major secondary school named Ngotshe Secondary School and two primary schools of which one is within the town limits. There are several schools outside the town limits. Living conditions in the area are reasonable. Most people are living in the middle-class conditions and live in harmony. There are however reports of escalating youth drinking and

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

, which is under observation. The town has been visited by several well-known politicians, including chief

Mangosuthu Buthelezi Prince Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi (; 27 August 1928 – 9 September 2023) was a South African politician and Zulu people, Zulu prince who served as the traditional prime minister to the Zulu royal family from 1954 until his death in 2023. He ...

and President

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a for ...

. Emalia decided to improve the lives local residents by starting a nursing college called Nandisa training institute. The courses include HIV, first aid, ancillary, auxiliary, nutrition, and others.http://www.nandisanursing.co.za

Environment

An area northwest of Louwsburg is characterized by rugged, impenetrable ravines, and is known as "Duiwel se Wêreld" (

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

: Devil's terrain). According to

Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a Southern African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch settlers who first arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: Brain to Casting''. Encyclopæd ...

legend, it was the work of the devil, who finding it inferior to God's creation, tore it asunder.

Gallery

Image:Avenuestraat, Louwsburg.jpg, Image:Ned Geref Kerkgebou, a, Louwsburg.jpg, Image:Ngotshe Mountain (31592996094).jpg,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Louwsburg, Kwazulu-Natal Populated places in the Abaqulusi Local Municipality Populated places established in 1920