there in 1923. The two Reinbach brothers and a Mr Grainger were often called upon to rescue bathers, and it was decided to use the gully, and place suspended chains across it, to provide a safe area for bathers. The chains were put up sometime before 1926, and this place was then called Chain Rocks. Paul Henwood May moved to Amanzimtoti in 1922, and built several colonial style homes (made from wood, with an iron roof and a front verandah).
Many people moved to Amanzimtoti during the Great Depression, because the cost of living was cheaper than in the cities. Amanzimtoti was granted local administration in 1934, with a population of 774. One of the "highlights" of the 1930s was the arrival of Gracie Fields, a popular singer at the time. Electricity was introduced to the town in 1938; being voted in by a small majority after Alan Allen campaigned on the benefits of electricity. Telephone lines were installed in 1945, and the manually operated telephone exchange was located at the railway station. Running water was introduced in 1949 by the first mayor of Amanzimtoti, Mr Olaf Bjorseth. Before the introduction of running water, residents used to collect rain water from the roofs of their houses. The first petrol pump in the town was owned and operated by Mr and Mrs Silverstone, who also ran a store called "The Silverstones". The first post office was situated on the railway station, next door to Mrs Morton's Tea Room. Mrs North was the first post-mistress. The post office and telephone exchange were moved to the Telephone Exchange building in Bjorseth Crescent in the late 1940s/ early 1950s.
Amanzimtoti offered refuge to many Middle Eastern and British evacuees during the Second World War, many of whom were housed in holiday cottages and private homes. When first a school was started at Toti Town Hall, Dr Frickle paid for two teacher's salaries out of money he made at his clinic selling "No 9s" (red pills "from the army"), which he purportedly prescribed "for everything". Miss Burns (who ran the Guides) held the first Arbour Day in Natal, and along with 16 Guides, planted 60 Erythrina lysistemon trees along Beach Road.
These trees "blazed red" when in flower and were known as the "glory of Beach Road" - and for this reason, the Coral Tree is included in the Crest of Amanzimtoti. These trees were however cut down in the 1950s when Beach Road was widened and tarred. The first newspapers to be produced in the town were attributed to Ivor Language, and the first issue of The Observer was printed in July 1955. Before this, newspapers had been brought in by train from Durban.
From 1957 to 1959, The Observer was replaced by a commercial weekly newspaper, the South Coast Courier. The Observer was again replaced, this time by the South Coast SUN, which was started in 1970 by Archie and Jenny Taylor. Toti's largest building, then known as Sanlam Centre, was constructed during 1972/1973. It consisted of a shopping complex and a 25-storey block of flats, which can accommodate 1,500 people.
The site where the bomb blast occurred Amanzimtoti made the international news when on December 23, 1985, during the peak of the Christmas shopping season; MK cadre Andrew Sibusiso Zondo detonated a bomb in a rubbish bin at the Sanlam shopping centre in an act of anti-Apartheid terrorism. Five people (two women and three children) were killed in the blast and more than forty were injured.
Wildlife
Amanzimtoti is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including Cape Clawless Otters, Blue Duiker and Spotted Ground-thrush. Vervet Monkeys are common and can be seen throughout the suburban parts of the town and in the nature reserves.
Most of the wildlife can be found along the Amanzimtoti River or in the coastal dune vegetation. A nature reserve was established along the banks of the river in 1965 called Ilanda Wilds. There is also a 'bird park' called Umdoni Bird Sanctuary along one of the tributaries of the Amanzimtoti River. Other nature reserves and green areas include; Umbogavango, Vumbuka and the Pipeline Coastal Park.
PORT SHEPSTONE
South Coast Fever
Coordinates: 30°45'00?S 30°27'00?E
Coordinates: 30°45'00?S 30°27'00?E
Country South Africa
Province KwaZulu-Natal
District Municipality Ugu
Local Municipality Hibiscus Coast
Time zone SAST (UTC+2)
Port Shepstone is situated on the mouth of the largest river on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, the Mzimkulu River (the great home of all rivers). 120 kilometres (75 mi) south of Durban, it is the administrative, educational and commercial centre for southern Natal.
History
Port Shepstone was founded in 1867 when marble was discovered nearby and is named after Sir Theophilus Shepstone of the Natal government of the 1880s. William Bazley built a harbour and the first coaster entered the harbour on the May 8, 1880. In 1882 a party of 246 Norwegian immigrants settled here and played a large part in the development of the area. After the opening of the railway to Durban in 1901 the harbour fell in disuse and eventually the river silted up again making it impossible to use. The 27,000 candela lighthouse still stands at the mouth of the Mzimkulu River.
Present Day
Its industries include a sugar mill, a lime works and a marble quarry. Timber, wattle bark and sub-tropical fruit are produced in the district.
The town features as a boundary between areas in the SABC weather forecast, where it appears in the phrase "from Port Shepstone to the Tugela mouth...".
Port Shepstone was founded in 1867 when marble was discovered nearby and is named after Sir Theophilus Shepstone of the Natal government of the 1880s. William Bazley built a harbour and the first coaster entered the harbour on the May 8, 1880. In 1882 a party of 246 Norwegian immigrants settled here and played a large part in the development of the area. After the opening of the railway to Durban in 1901 the harbour fell in disuse and eventually the river silted up again making it impossible to use. The 27,000 candela lighthouse still stands at the mouth of the Mzimkulu River.
There is a vibrant Abahlali baseMjondolo branch in the Gamalakhe Township. It was founded by Lungisani Jama.
Transport
Port Shepstone railway station opened in 1917, serving as both the southern terminus of 1,435 mm (4 ft. 8 1/2 in) 111 kilometres (69 mi) line from to Durban, as well as the southern coastal terminus of the narrow gauge Alfred County Railway to Harding, KwaZulu-Natal.
After the standard gauge Transnet passenger services shut in 1986, the ACR continued operations until 2005, when the famous Banana Express ceased operation.
Education
The first school was opened in 1883 but by 1950 the school became too small. The Port Shepstone School split into two, the Port Shepstone Primary School and the Port Shepstone High School.
Port Shepstone is situated on the mouth of the largest river on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, the Mzimkulu River (the great home of all rivers). 120 kilometres south of Durban, it is the administrative, educational and commercial centre for southern Natal.
The town was founded in 1867 when marble was discovered nearby and is named after Sir Theophilus Shepstone of the Natal government of the 1880s. William Bazley built a harbour and the first coaster entered the harbour on the May 8, 1880. In 1882 a party of 246 Norwegian immigrants settled here and played a large part in the development of the area. After the opening of the railway to Durban in 1901 the harbour fell in disuse and eventually the river silted up again making it impossible to use. The 27,000 Candela Lighthouse still stands at the mouth of the Mzimkulu River.
Attractions: The Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve
The Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve is a wonderfully scenic area offering excellent hiking opportunities. The area boasts cliffs and forests and spectacular hiking trails and picnic sites. Wildlife in the Oribi Gorge consists of many antelope, although the Oribi (after which the gorge is named) is rarely seen.
A photographer's paradise: Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve encompasses forests, rivers, rapids and ravine. High sandstone cliffs dominate this 24km long gorge carved out by the Umzimkulwana River. Leopards, troops of baboons, various small antelope and a prolific bird life, including five species of kingfisher and seven species of eagle inhabit the reserve. There are several nature trails for the adventurous.
ULUNDI
Ulundi Fever
Coordinates : 28°19'S 31°25'E
Coordinates: 28°19'S 31°25'E
Country : South Africa
Province : KwaZulu-Natal
District Municipality : Zululand
Local Municipality : Ulundi
Time zone : SAST (UTC+2)
Ulundi is a town in the Zululand District Municipality. At one time the capital of Zululand in South Africa and later the capital of the Bantustan of KwaZulu, Ulundi now lies in KwaZulu-Natal Province (of which, from 1994 to 2004, it alternated with Pietermaritzburg as the provincial capital). The town now includes an airport, a five-star hotel, and some museums amongst its sights. In the 2001 Census, the population of the town was recorded as 18,420.
When Cetshwayo became King of the Zulus on September 1, 1873, he created, as was customary, a new capital for the nation. naming it "uluNdi" ("The high place"). On July 4, 1879, in the Battle of Ulundi (the final battle of the Anglo-Zulu War), the British army captured the royal kraal and razed it to the ground. Nearby is Ondini, where King Mpande, Cetshwayo's father, had his kraal. A large Zulu hut now is on the site. )
Other Areas to look out for:)
South Coast Fever - Hibberdene, Port Shepstone, Shelly Beach, Margate, Ramsgate, Southbroom, Port Edward
Upper Coast Fever - Umbogintwini, Amanzimtoti, Kingsburgh, Umkomaas, Scottburgh, Pennington, Umzinto, Mtwalume