Early History of the Area

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

4.1 Early History of the Area

This chapter focuses on early plans and developments in the Richards Bay locality

and the implications thereof on surrounding areas. The newly formed City of

uMhlathuze consists of two urban settlements, namely Richards Bay and

Empangeni. The amalgamation of Empangeni and Richards Bay into one

jurisdictional area, the City of uMhlathuze is expected to eventually synergise the

two towns into a metropolitan area.

It

was argued by the Executive Committee of

the uMhlathuze Municipality that giving the area city status would serve as a way to

attract investment and development to the area

(CStK

&

vtJ'KA ,

2002).

~efore

this

contemporary planning, these towns grew separately and in many ways they still are

separate. State intervention and the decision to build a deepwater port in Richards

Bay along with the extensive rail and road infrastructure in the 1970's, had a major

impact on the growth of' both

'~mpangeni

and ttichards

~ay.

tn order to understand

the present status of the area and current approaches to local economic development,

it is necessary first to understand the origin of the two settlements of Empangeni

and llichards Bay and the role that government intervention played in the industrial

and economic development of'the area.

Map of KwaZulu-Natal showi.,g Area of Interest

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A

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~Newcastle'.

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:,'i. '.

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..." ...,: ..f'

\\,...41·Ladysmith

. Empangeni~ Richard. Bay

" ~~

~ ^{/ / '}

-.. Aetermaritzburg,?

'-.

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Locality Map Legend

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^{Nea .ofInterest}

• KZN Towns

...' National Roads

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Cartogllphlc lk1lt, Lhlverslty of Newl, Pletermllrlt2bu"o,2CXh

Fig: 41: The Location of Richards Bay/Empangeni

4.1.1 Empangeni

Not far from present day Empangeni, King Shaka established his royal kraal Bulawayo, overlooking the uMhlathuze River (Minnaar, 1989). Empangeni is said to have originated with the arrival of the American Rev Aldin Grout and his wife Charlotte who established the mission station lnkanyezi in 1841 on the Mpangeni River, a tributary of the uMhlathuze River (Cubin, 1994; Minnaar, 1989). However, the mission station was short lived, because in 1842 the local King Mpande ordered the closure of the mission. Other missions opened in later years but as a result of the 1879 Anglo·Zulu War, all missions were destroyed. Once peace had returned to the area Norwegian Rev

S~hreuder 9.evelope~

the first Lutberan I;IlissioI:l st?tion in 1895.

This was the first modern urban settlement in Empangeni and the largest in the Zululand area (Barker, 2001; Cubin, 1994; Minnaar, 1989).

The town's commercial function emerged with the establishment of a pioneer store

in

Empangeni on 26 January 1894 (CSIR

&

VUKA, 2002). "This was the beginning of the development of Empangeni as the commercial hub of Zululand" (Cubbin 1994, p32). Perhaps the most significant development for the town was the location ofthe magistrate's court in Empangeni initiated by Major Thomas Maxwell in 1897. This decision turned the town into an administrative centre - an important function it still fills today (Cubin, 1994; CSIR

&

VUKA , 2002). In the same year Zululand and .Tongaland were annexed as part ofthe colony of Natal (Ml,nnaar, 1989).

Nineteen-hundred and three saw the development of the first railway station in Empangeni which proved to be a crucial element in the growth of the town. In October of 1904 land was set aside in Zululand for white settlers to plant sugar.

Empangeni was sustained by the agricultural sector and more specifically the sugar

industry which lead to the declaration of Empangeni as a village in 1906. The Sugar

Mill opened in 1911 and played an important role in the emergence of Empangeni's

light industrial sector. The amalgamation of the village, rail and millsaw the birth of a formal municipality and a town in its own right in 1931 with a population of approximately 647 people (Barker, 2001; Minnaar, 1989; CSIR & VUKA, 2002).

Two decisive growth periods can be distinguished in the development of the town, the first being a period of industrial expansion after the Second World War. Evidence of this was in the growth of the population figures with an approximate population of 703 in 1936 and 1 037, ten years later _~Minnaar, 1989). Secondly, growth In Empangeni occurred due to spin-offs from the stimulation and development of Richards Bay as a harbour and industrial centre in the 1970's and 1980's. This encompassed residential development as well as commercial and retail support of the residential component.

4.1.2. Richards Bay

Richards Bay has evolved from a small fishing village in northern KwaZulu Natal to one of the key economic nodes of the province. The area surrounding and including Richards Bay (uMhlathuze) is rich in mineral resources including ilimite, rutile, zircon, pig iron and coal. Other natural advantages include the areas diverse and intensifying agricultural resources and production. Sugar cane plantations along the Indian Ocean coastal belt form the mainstay of the agricultural sector. This area is also a large producer of sub-tropical fruit. Forestry operations are well established with evident pulp and paper mill industry (,T.ownsend, 2003).

The town takes its name from a British commodore, Sir Frederick William Richards, who sailed into the bay to supply troops during the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879. His map was the earliest to record the uMhlathuze lagoon as 'Richards Bay' (Cubin, 1997;

'J::ownsend, 2003). _,~i~he first development to take place was the establishment of- Zululand Fisheries by George Higgs in 1906. In 1907 a wagon track from Empangeni was completed and in 1928, a hotel and store were built (CSIR & VUKA, 2002).

The government's recognition of the need to exploit the coal deposits on the south eastern shores of Africa and to develop a viable British harbour north of the Thugela prompted investigations to develop the Umhlathuze Lagoon. However, when

~uiand

was incorporated into Natal, tlurban became the preferred site for the harbour (Seneque Smit

&

Maughan Brown, 1993; Townsend, 2003).

In more recent years, the decision to finally develop a deepwater harbour in Richards Bay transformed the area into a modern and dynamic port centre, and it became one of the few urban centres of the country that continued to grow despite periods of national recession, political uncertainty, and international economic pressures (CS-Ht

&

VUKA , 2002). In 1967 Prime Minister

B.J.

Vorster announced the proposed

establishment of the harbour, the first major industrial enterprise in Richards Bay.

Richards Bay has since developed around the harbour as its main function, with the

presence of many heavy industries characterising the town.