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About
Mtunzini |
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A bit of Mtunzini history |
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The white Zulu
It’s the year 1856. You are made diplomatic adviser to the Zulu
- prince Cetswayo, and Chief of your own piece of land in
Zululand.
How to fit in and how to be respected by the other Induna’s?
With a name like John Dunn you simply marry 48 women from tribes
all over Zululand to insure there will be peace.
Being Scottish, born in 1833 in Durban (then know as Port
Natal), together with the other colonists, he took in bandits
from Shaka’s Mfecane wars. Therefore he became a custom to the
language and habits of the Zulu people.
“Dunn was a great man and strategist” said Albert van Jaarsveld,
history lecturer at the University of Zululand and resident of
Mtunzini. “He could be called the father of our district.”
While in the army in the Eshowe district Albert decided that he
would like to reside in this town on the KwaZulu-Natal coast.
Three months later a vacant post was available at the University
of Zululand and he immediately applied. |
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Some of his colleges also reside in Mtunzini, and there are
quite an amount of people commuting from there to Richards Bay
and Empangeni. Under the population of 611 taxpayers there are a
few retired people as well.
“People prefer living in Mtunzini, and commuting back and forth.
Everything is close at hand. The greatest winter weather in the
country and your quality of life could not be found in the city.
Our nature reserve is the greatest thing regarding Mtunzini; it
stretches all the way to the coastline!” Albert said.
Thanks to Umlalazi-reserve at Mtunzini, the coastline is not
filled up with flats. The beautiful vegetation with the little
town, guards over this reserve.In the
Indaba- or Inkwazi-camping sites (with 45 stands) you will
be camping under the same melkhoutboom, John Dunn used for
weddings and court sittings. This tree is called “Umthunzi”
in the Zulu language, taken from the Zulu word “emthunzini”,
meaning “in the shadow of the melkhoutboom” giving Mtunzini
its name. |
Setting up camp and cooking, makes you wonder if you should
have married 50 women, but if like in Dunn’s case, you had
117 children, they would have scared away all the monkeys,
red duiker, and birds, living here.
Not only the Nature Reserve is managed as a reserve, the
whole of Mtunzini area is know as a sanctuary, the residents
are proud to manage and reserve the Mtunzini area as a
sanctuary.
“Mtunzini is the first town to be claimed as a sanctuary, in
the country.” Barbara Chedzey, chairperson of the Mtunzini
sanctuary said. “Some people do not realise what it takes
for the local residents to be involved, to prevent the
infestation of alien plants in the Mtunzini area, and
attract wild life and birds to the area. They think it is a
wonderful place and do not realise why”
Ironically there is two species planted that attacks people
to Mtunzini, the “raffia palm”-plantation next to the
railway line, and at the Umlalazi river where there is lots
of wild fig trees. (They where planted especially for more
stability during the flood season.) |
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The raffia palm trees were planted by C.C. Foxon, the previous
Magistrate of town, for the Pretoria State Prison, so that the
prisoners could make brooms from the leaves.
In 1942 these gigantic raffia palms were proclaimed as a
national heritage. Walking through the pathways you will seen
the 18m long leaves (the longest in the flora species),
Stretching my neck and inspecting each and every leave that
moves, looking for the rear Palm nut vulture with the
spectacular red eyes, you will only find here and in the Kosi
Bay area. Needing help I asked Sibusiso Magagula, the Zululand
Bird watching route guide of the year 2003, to meet me at the
gate of the nature reserve, the next morning.
“I started seriously bird watching in 2000, after another guide
and myself went to Wakkerstroom for training.” Sbu was saying.
“It was not that hard to do, growing up in the veld watching the
cattle, I had plenty of time to study the birds of the area, all
I needed was to learn what the correct English name was.”
With in the next ten minutes I was watching the rear and
beautiful Vulture through my binoculars. “You are not likely to
see the vulture in the plantation, for they normally sit at the
top of the palms, where the fruits are.” Sbu was explaining.
We where looking for the Mangrove Kingfisher, one of the other
scarce species at Mtunzini but he was no where to be seen. I got
to see a colony of crab’s with there red claws sticking out of
the mud, on the way back to the parking area next to the river I
saw a “spotted ground thrush”. For someone that just started
with a bird watching list, I am on 19, thanks to Sbu.
Sbu, grew up in Amatikulu, about 20 km from Mtunzini, where
there is also a nature reserve, combined with Umlalazi it forms
the Siyayi-coastal reserve. To get to Amatikulu reserve the
roads are well marked, but if you try to go to the other
sceneries you might need more help. |
| In my search for the Ongoye-forest, the last of the Plato
forests, protected since 1904, I past the forest completely.
Thanks to a security guard at the University of Zululand, I
found the hand painted sign board “Ongoye Forest”.
Then I went to look for the graveside of John Dunn, on the road
to Mtunzini to Gingindlovu, I could seen a church. There I found
sister Priscilla Dlamini of the Catholic Church Emoyeni, John
Dunn’s grave is not there. The church is used for an orphanage
for the 1500 aids orphans and 600 house holds with there
children and Priscilla takes care of them all.
Across the road I finally find the grave of John Dunn. There is
still a dispute amongst the squatters and the great, great
granddaughter of John Dunn, regarding the wrights to the land.
Little did he know in 1856, that the mixture of rich Scottish
blood with that of the Zulu would cause this much conflict.
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