Kwazulu Natal

The homeland of KwaZulu (or place of the Zulu) was granted self-government under apartheid on 1 December 1977. According to the apartheid social planner’s ideal of 'separate development', it was intended to be the home of the Zulu people. Although it was relatively large, it was segmented and spread over a large Area in what is now the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

The capital of KwaZulu was Ulundi and its government was led by Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), who established a good relationship with the ruling National Party. He also distanced himself from the African National Congress (ANC), with whom he had a close relationship.

This was the smallest of the four traditional Provinces, in the South Eastern part, of South Africa. However in 1996, under South Africa’s, new Democratic Constitution the Homelands were dismantled and South Africa consolidated into what is today’s nine Provinces. Thus making the Province of Gauteng the smallest.

The Portuguese navigator Vasco de Gama discovered along the Coast what is now Durban. This event occurred on Christmas Day, in 1497. (This was why the area was named:'Terra Natalis', which is the Portuguese word for Christmas.) The British settlement at Port Natal grew rapidly because in 1835, Captain A.F. Gardiner secured a treaty with Dingane. This treaty ceded the Southern half of Natal to the British. This apparently empty interior was only entered into by the Voortrekkers,in October 1837. (This was name given to the Afrikaners, who had left the British-ruled Cape Colony!) 
Natal had been regarded as part of the British sphere of influence since the establishment of the first trading post in Port Natal in 1824 but the early English traders and hunters found themselves unable to secure a stable relationship with the then Zulu King; Dingane. The Voortrekkers crossed the passes over the Northern Drakensberg Mountains, under the leadership of Piet Retief and others and here they encountered Dingane. Nervous about white encroachment on his land, Dingane had a party of Boers murdered in February 1838; the Boers retaliated by defeating the Zulu at the Battle of Blood River, which culminated in Dingane’s overthrow and assassination. In December 1838 the Boers under the overall command of Andries Pretorius defeated the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River, destroying more than 3,000 of Dingane’s army. 

KwaZulu-Natal however now has become a melting pot of: African; European and Indian Cultures. After Dingane was replaced by his brother Mpande. He made concessions to the Boers and established himself North of the Tugela in a State known as: 'Zululand'. This Province boasts two World Heritage Sites – the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park. In the 1840's, it became known as the British Colony of Natal, though Zululand remained independent until 1879. It is called the garden Province and it is the home of the Zulu nation. 

When the Homeland of KwaZulu, which means "Place of the Zulu" was re-incorporated into the Natal province after the end of Apartheid in 1994. The Province of Natal, which had existed between 1910 and 1994, was renamed KwaZulu-Natal.

Just North of the Dolphin Coast, in a malaria-free area, Zululand extends up to Richard’s Bay along the North Coast of KwaZulu Natal and inland into the rural heart of KwaZulu Natal, extending North to Pongola, including the little Towns of Ulundi and Vryheid that lie on the border of the Battlefields Route.
Lying beneath the baking heat of a subtropical sun, Zululand is how many regard KwaZulu Natal in their minds eye - peaceful, green hills, waving grasslands, abundant forests, unhurried lifestyle, and a soil charged with the strength of the Zulu nation, who fought for this Land.

'This has become an Area rich in symbolism and tradition, and the age-old Zulu Culture remains today!' As visitors are invited into the heart of Zulu villages like:'Shakaland' and 'Dumazulu'. You can visit a 'Sangoma', watch a rural wedding ceremony and experience Zulu hospitality and learn about Zulu life!
A highlight of the region is undoubtedly the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Park. Set in the heart of Zululand this is the oldest game reserve in Africa, where Zulu kings such as Dingiswayo and Shaka Zulu. Today, Africa's 'Big Five' (lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and rhinoceros) stalk the flourishing Savannah.
Zululand lies on the brink of both the Battlefields Route and Drakensberg, yet this land that is home to tea plantations, cattle farms and pretty little inland towns is also rich in wildlife.
There is an aboudunce of Sugar-Cane farms found in this part of South Africa; as it has the perfect Climate.
There are numerous Parks, Farms and nature Reserves - including: the Siyaya Coastal Park, the Umlalazi Nature Reserve, and the Amatikulu Nature Reserve - in an Area dedicated to conservation.
The Zululand Birding Route, with over 650 species of birds, offers an incredible diversity of bird species with over 30 local guides and a series of useful brochures and information packs linking the top 70 birding spots in the area on 14 local routes. Dlinza, one of the most beautiful forests of Zululand, lies in the Dlinza Nature Reserve close to Eshowe, one of the finest places to spot birds, hike and see wild fig and African plum trees.

As of the 2001 Census 22.9% of the Population in KwaZulu-Natal aged 20 years or more had received no education, while only 4.8% had higher Education.