Ballito Cultural Sites

King Shaka Heritage Route

The King Shaka Heritage Route follows in the footsteps of one of the great Zulu chiefs. King Shaka Zulu is considered by many as the architect of the Zulu nation. He moulded dozens of scattered clans into a powerful unified force. The Zulus dominated the territory between the Lembombo Mountains (what is today the Swaziland border) to the Eastern Cape. The route is also a celebration of the Kingdom. It aims to keep the rich historical and cultural heritage alive and ensure that the local community derives a benefit from the tourism boom in the KwaDukuza region.

Places of interest include:

• High Rock, where King Shaka would sit and plan his military tactics.
• Observation Rock, where King Shaka would watch his regiments’ manoeuvres on the plain below.
• King Shaka’s Spring, from which his handmaidens drew water.
• Kind Shaka’s pool and cave, which is located on the Imbozamo River. Here King Shaka bathed, rested and held court with his advisors.
• Mavivane Execution Rock, where legend has it that King Shaka issued judgment on dissenters and enemies from the top of this cliff. They would be clubbed over the head and thrown onto the rocks below.
• Shaka’s trees. These trees are almost 200 years old and were found within the town of KwaDukuza. The trees include the Indaba Tree, where King Shaka held council, and the Assassination Tree, where he is reputed to have been killed in 1828.

Albert John Luthuli (1898 - 1967)

Albert Luthuli was a South African political leader and the first African to win the Nobel Peace Prize. At the age of 10, he was sent by his mother to live with his uncle in on the North Coast The same community was later to elect him chief, and it was as chief that Luthuli became politicised as he tried to improve conditions within Groutville. He travelled throughout South Africa denouncing Apartheid and helping to lead the Defiance Campaign of non-violent protests that ultimately marked the beginning of the of mass resistance against the Apartheid system. In 1960, Albert John Luthuli was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1967, he was killed by a train as he walked along the railroad bridge near his house. His home and gravesite in Groutville, now a museum, is signposted from the R102.

The Battle of eNdondakusuka

eNdondakusuka was part of a civil war fought between the forces of Prince Cetshwayo and his brother Mbuyazi, for the right to be king of the Zulus in 1856. Some 15 000 to 25 000 warriors died in this battle, which, when the dust settled, established Cetshwayo as the king of the Zulus. The site, near the northern bank of the Thukela River, can be viewed from Fort Pearson on the opposite bank of the river.

Fort Pearson and Fort Tenedos

Two historical monuments dating back to the Anglo-Zulu wars are found in the Harold Johnson Nature Reserve. The unrest that followed the struggle for succession between the brothers Cetshwayo and Mbuyazi caused a nervous Natal government to build seven forts along the Thukela River to protect the northern border. One of these forts, Fort Williamson, was replaced by Fort Pearson. It was from here that the British marched into Zululand at the start of the Anglo-Zulu war in the late 1870’s. Today, all that remains of Fort Pearson are the outer trenches. There is a small picnic area, a stone cairn, various plaques and some war graves.

The Ultimatum Tree is another national monument located immediately below Fort Pearson, at the old point site on the southern bank of the Thukela River. It was under this tree that King Cetshwayo was presented with the ultimatum, part of which included that the Zulus demobilise their army. The ultimatum was presented by Sir Bartle Frere. Cetshwayo’s non-compliance was used as the excuse by the British to attack the Zulus and crush their dependence.

Fort Tenedos was built during the initial phases of the Anglo-Zulu war on the northern bank of the Thukela River, directly opposite the site of Fort Pearson on the southern bank, from where it is best viewed.

Battle of Tugela

Battle of Tugela During April 1838, an army of Natal “Natives”, made up of a few traders and led by Robert Biggar, was defeated by Dingaan’s warriors on the north bank of the Thukela River above the north-east John Ross Bridge. This site is a proclaimed battlefield.

A R26 million cultural and tourism project that celebrates aspects of Indian, Colonial and Zulu culture in a single complex has become one of the country’s premier tourist attractions. The Kingdom, on the farm Flagstaff adjacent to the town of Shakaskraal, offers a unique concept of hospitality and entertainment. It offers visitors a tantalising mix of Indian, Colonial and Zulu culture and entertainment, supporting its motto “Three Cultures on One Estate.”