Stanger
KwaDukuza-Stanger lies inland from Blythedale in the midst of sugarcane fields.Stanger is home to King Shaka’s memorial monument and part of the Zulu Heritage Route and the proposed Sugar Route as well.
KwaDukuza-Stanger’s was the new capital for Shaka’s Zulu nation during his last years life. KwaDukuza - meaning place of the lost person - was named after the intricate labyrinth layout of huts, and it was in one of the kraals that Shaka was assassinated by two of his half-brothers - Dingane, who was to succeed him, and Mhlangane. His body was buried upright in a grain pit in a hasty burial the day after his assassination. a simple stone memorial was erected in his honour over his grave which still stands there today.
Shaka’s successor abandon kwDukuza allowing it to run to wrack and ruin, and it was only in 1873 that a European town was built on the site, named after William Stanger, the surveyor-general of Natal. Today KwaDukuza-Stanger serves as the commercial, magisterial and communication centre for the large sugar-producing district.
STANGER
Markets, mosques and temples of their descendents now add a vibrant flavour the towns on the Dolphin Coast and today KwaDukuza-Stanger is one of many of the towns in this area to claim an authentic eastern influence, brought here by the first Indian immigrants who came to work on the sugar cane fields.
The Indian market in town is worth a visit and the Sappi Paper Mill, which makes KwaDukuza-Stanger its home, offers daily tours.
Name
KwaDukuza (also known as Stanger) is a town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In 2006 when the Minister of Arts and Culture approved a name change, its official name was changed from Stanger to KwaDukuza; however Zulu people in the area called it "Dukuza" well before this date, and many continue to use "Stanger" today. In the past the Zulu name was "Dukuza" (or "Dunguza"), and this name is also used. In the Zulu name, "Kwa" is pronounced "k-wa" and means "the house of" or "the place of".
History
The Statue in park of smiling African man in a suit is Albert Luthuli
The Engraved "Tshaka" monument at the King Shaka memorial centre in Kwadukuza, is King Shaka memorial stone.
The town was founded about 1820 by King Shaka, and was named KwaDukuza (Zulu: Place of the Lost Person) because of the capital's labyrinth of huts. After Shaka was assassinated on 24 September 1828—in a coup by two of his half-brothers, Dingane and Umthlangana (Mhlangane)—the town was burnt to the ground. In 1873 European settlers built a town on the site, naming it Stanger after William Stanger, the surveyor-general of Natal.
Stanger became a municipality in 1949, and is the commercial, magisterial and railway center of an important sugar-producing district. A small museum adjoins the site of King Shaka's grave, a grain pit in the town center. The town and its vibrant inhabitants are surrounded by sugar cane fields, bush and the mahogany tree where King Shaka held meetings, which still stands in front of the municipal offices. The Shaka Day festival, a colorful ceremony of 10,000 or more Zulu, is held at the KwaDukuza Recreation Grounds on 24 September every year. The festival is usually attended by dignitaries to mark the significance of the Zulu nation.
The Stanger North Coast Museum houses historical items and information on King Shaka, the sugar industry and local history. The town has an eastern flavor, due the influx of Indian laborers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries for sugar-cane barons such as Liege Hulett. The first few hundred Indian families left Port Natal for the cane farms on 17 November 1860. The importing of Indian laborers was stopped in 1911 when their numbers exceeded 100,000. Most Indians did not return when their work contracts expired, exchanging their return-trip passes for money or property. The growth of the Indian community changed the economic and cultural nature of KwaDukuza. Town celebrations include Diwali and the Winter Fair; the latter a fundraiser for child welfare.