On the crest of a ridge of hills, 500 metres above sea level, is a forest known to the Zulus as Dlinza (‘a gravelike place of meditation’). The town below the hills is named Eshowe, which is said to be the sound of the wind sighing through the trees but the name most likely comes from the xysmalobium shrubs, called by the Zulus showe or shongwe. They are prolific in the area of the town. The ridge is pleasantly relieved from the heat of the coast by sea breezes. ‘It is always cool at Eshowe,’ say the Zulus-implying that there is always an escape from oppression somewhere-and Eshowe was a retreat for them during the height of summer.
In 1860 the Zulu prince Cetshwayo built himself a village on the heights, naming the place Eziqwaqweni (‘the abode of robbers’). He attracted to the vicinity a mission station named kwaMondi (‘place of Mondi’), the Zulu name for the Reverend Ommund Oftefro, the Norwegian missionary in charge.
In January 1879, with the beginning of the Anglo-Zulu War, a British column under Colonel Charles Knight Pearson occupied the station, intending to use it as a base for an advance on the Zulu capital of Ulundi. Instead, to their surprise, they were besieged there for ten weeks by a Zulu force commanded by Dabulamanzi, a very determined warrior. On 3 April 1879 the garrison was relieved by a British force sent from Natal. The mission was evacuated and promptly set on fire by the Zulus and destroyed.
At the end of the war, the British selected the area of Eshowe as the site for their administrative capital. A small fort was built, and some of the forest trees were cut down. In their place an attractive town grew up, with stores, offices and homes in a setting of natural parkland.
In 1887 Eshowe became the capital of Zululand. It retains much of the atmosphere of its founding days, when Zululand was the scene of incessant upheaval, feuding and fighting during the troubled period of its history after the Anglo-Zulu War.
The ‘Beau Geste’ type of fort built by the British administration now houses the Zululand Historical Museum, containing many relics of local historical events. This neat little fort was garrisoned by a Zulu force-the Reserve Territorial Carabineers, popularly known as the Nongqayi (‘restrainers’). The fort was built with some difficulty, as there were no craftsmen in Zululand experienced in this type of construction. Two itinerant builders took on the contract, but the walls, when approaching a mere 3 metres in height, showed signs of collapsing under the pressure of the winds and could obviously not have resisted any serious attack. These walls had to be pulled down, and new builders were found who did a better job, using sun-baked bricks cemented by a mixture of mud and cow dung known as daga.
The Dlinza Forest today provides a sanctuary for birds, vervet monkeys, wild pigs, blue and red duikers, bushbuck and other creatures. Paths and roads lead through the forest. In the centre is a clearing known as the Bishop’s Seat. Occasional church services are held here and every three years a nativity play, written in 1953 by Selwyn Moberley, is presented in this lovely forest setting. The municipal swimming pool and caravan park are on the fringes of the Dlinza Forest. The municipality also maintains the Ocean View Game Park on the outskirts of the town. This sanctuary, 1 617 hectares in extent, contains antelope, birds, warthogs and other wild creatures. The annual Zululand Agricultural and Industrial Show, held in Eshowe in May or June, is the principal event of its kind in Zululand.
Mayhew, V. (ed) 1978. Illustrated Guide to Southern Africa. Cape Town: Reader’s Digest.
