Eshowe
| Eshowe | |||
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| Coordinates | 28 ° 53 ′ S , 31 ° 28 ′ E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | South Africa | ||
| KwaZulu-Natal | |||
| District | King Cetshwayo | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | ZA-KZN | ||
| local community | uMlalazi | ||
| Residents | 14,744 (2011) | ||
| founding | 1860 | ||
 Fort Nonquai in Eshowe
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Eshowe is a city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal . It is located in the uMlalazi parish in King Cetshwayo District . In 2011 it had 14,744 inhabitants. Eshowe is the oldest city in the Zululand founded by Europeans . The name probably comes from the isiZulu designation showe or shongwe for a specific species of the silk plant family . The name may have been inspired by the sounds of the wind, the large through more than four square kilometers of jungle Dhlinza Forest blowing.
Today Eshowe is a market town and has a catchment area with a radius of 100 kilometers, two shopping centers, a bus station through which the hinterland is connected, a hospital and several schools.
history
In 1860 Cetshwayo , who was then only a Zulu prince , built a kraal here , which he called Eziqwaqweni (roughly 'robber's den '). In 1861 a mission station was founded in Eshowe by the Norwegian missionary Pastor Ommund Oftebro. Cetshwayo gave his approval. Later the place was called KwaMondi Mission Station ("Place of Mondi"), after the Zulu name that Oftebro got.
Siege of Eshowes
During the Zulu War of 1879, Colonel Charles Pearson led the coastal column to Eshowe. The column met part of the Zulu army on the Nyezane River . After a brief struggle, the column was pushed back to the KwaMondi mission, which they fortified and from then on called Fort Eshowe . Colonel Pearson's troops were besieged for ten weeks until they were freed on April 3rd by Lord Chelmsford after the Battle of KwaGingindlovu .
Capital of the Zululand
In 1887 the British declared Eshowe the capital of the Zululand. British resident Melmoth Osborne lived here. The city of Melmoth was named after him. In 1891 Eshowe was granted city rights.
In 1947 the British royal family ( George VI , Queen Elizabeth , Princess Elisabeth and Princess Margaret ) visited Eshowe. They were greeted by King Cyprian . They went to the Dlinza Forest and stayed at The Residency .
Eshowe was also the seat of the first black diocesan bishops of the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church in South Africa.
Museums
- Fort Nongqwayi , an old British fort
- Vukani Museum , a museum for Zulu handicrafts
Natural parks in the area
- iSimangaliso Wetland Park
- Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park
- Ithala game reserve
- Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area
Web links
- Tourist information on Eshowe (English)
- For more information about Eshowe (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ 2011 census , accessed November 16, 2013.