Inanda, South Africa: A Journey Through History and Culture

Besides stunning beaches, adventure activities, street markets, delectable Bunny Chows, and botanical gardens, the city of Durban is also known for its historical importance.

The eThekwini Inanda Heritage Route in the Inanda Valley, located in north Durban, gives travellers a chance to explore the noteworthy historic legacy that shaped the future of South Africa.

Inanda, meaning “pleasant place” in isiZulu, is no ordinary township-it’s a cradle of democracy, where the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi, John Langalibalele Dube, and Nelson Mandela intertwine, their shared vision of justice and equality etched into the landscape.

The Inanda heritage route is part of the Greater Phoenix, Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu areas.

The Inanda Heritage Route is part of a much wider bouquet of tourism opportunities offered by the city of Durban.

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eNanda is part of the eThekwini municipality and only 15 miles away from the bustling city center of Durban, but due to its semi-rural character, much traditional Zulu culture is still practiced there.

eNanda has always been a place where different cultures co-exist and merge; the unique spirit of the place has evolved through cross-cultural fertilization.

Today, eNanda’s culture and heritage consists of a rich diversity of cultural heritage practices that range from traditional Zulu rituals to contemporary South African township culture.

The eNanda web site goes on to give the following introduction: “The Inanda Heritage Route takes in some of the most important, albeit little-known, historical sites of Durban. Winding its way through the Inanda Valley, it provides a snapshot of critical South African history as well as, perhaps surprisingly, India’s past.

Inanda’s recent history dates back to the early 1800s, when KwaZulu Natal was a Boer Republic.

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But it was the events that unfolded at the turn of the century that shaped its future.

First Mahatma Gandhi, then a lawyer, arrived in the region to represent an Indian client.

Then, in the 1960s, Inanda became home to the thousands of people displaced from urban areas under apartheid laws.

In 1994, Inanda’s outlook changed as democracy was born in South Africa.

To mark the occasion, Nelson Mandela cast his vote in this historic election at Inanda’s Ohlange Institute, fitting given that the first-ever president of the African National Congress (ANC), Dr. John L.

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It has high significance at all levels for its historical, aesthetic, scientific and cultural/social values.

The Inanda Heritage Trail houses some very critical components of not just South African history but of India’s past too.

Historical Context

Inanda Township, situated within the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, holds historical significance as one of the original townships in the region.

Initially, during the 17th century, it served as a vital oasis for local Indigenous farmers.

The landscape transformed with the arrival of white settlers in the late 1700s, and by the 1800s, Inanda Township became designated as a 'Reserve' for Black and less educated individuals.

The year 1951 marked a pivotal shift with the introduction of the Group Areas Act by the government.

This legislation led to an influx of Black residents into Inanda Township, accompanied by challenges arising from inadequate infrastructure encompassing housing, schools, clinics, roads, sanitation, and water systems.

Tensions escalated between the Indian and African communities between 1984-1987, resulting in significant political and racial clashes.

Notably, on April 27, 1994, Inanda Township gained recognition as the location where Nelson Mandela cast his vote, marking a momentous occasion in the country's history.

Key Figures and Their Legacies

Mahatma Gandhi and the Phoenix Settlement

In the year 1903, Mahatma Gandhi, who had established his residence in the nearby city of Durban in 1893, founded a modest settlement known as Phoenix Settlement on the northwestern periphery of Inanda.

This village-like community featured residences, a clinic, a school, and a printing press, and played a pivotal role as a dwelling place for Gandhi, his family, and his supporters.

Their collective mission was to advocate for societal transformation through nonviolent resistance.

Even after Gandhi's departure in 1914, Phoenix Settlement continued to be a home for various residents and activists, including his son, Manilal Gandhi.

As the 1980s unfolded, the vicinity of the Settlement witnessed the emergence of a squatter camp named Bhambayi, which eventually encompassed much of the area.

The year 1985 witnessed riots within the camp, driven by opposition to apartheid policies, resulting in significant damage to the structures of Phoenix Settlement.

Subsequently, the community largely fell into disuse until February 2000, when then-President Thabo Mbeki formally committed to its reestablishment and restoration.

Your journey begins at the Phoenix Settlement, a serene 100-acre oasis founded in 1904 by a young Mohandas Gandhi, then a lawyer fresh from the indignities of racial prejudice.

Arriving in Durban in 1893 to represent an Indian client, Gandhi’s life changed forever when he was forcibly removed from a “whites-only” train compartment in Pietermaritzburg.

This humiliating experience ignited his philosophy of Satyagraha-nonviolent resistance-which he honed here in Inanda.

At Phoenix, you’ll walk through Gandhi’s modest home, now a museum, where he lived with his family and followers.

The International Printing Press, where he published the Indian Opinion to rally against injustice, still stands, its weathered walls echoing his call for dignity.

As you explore, guides share how Gandhi’s time in South Africa-21 formative years-transformed him into the Mahatma, a “great soul” whose ideas of passive resistance would later inspire global movements, including India’s fight for independence.

John Langalibalele Dube and the Ohlange Institute

John Langalibalele Dube (11 February 1871 - 11 February 1946) was a South African essayist, philosopher, educator, politician, publisher, editor, novelist and poet.

John Langalibalele Dube, affectionately known as "Mafukuzela," alongside his wife Nokutela Dube, were born in the 1870s at an American-operated Christian mission station located in Inanda.

As the son of a respected Zulu clergyman, Dube received his education at Oberlin College in the United States.

Upon his return to his birthplace of Inanda, Dube embarked on a path of intellectual exploration, composing a series of insightful essays concerning the history and advancement of Africans.

He assumed the role of the first president of the South African Native National Congress, from 1912 to 1917.

Inspired by the work of African-American educator Booker T. Washington and his Tuskegee University, Dube and his wife founded several schools in Inanda, including Ohlange High School, Redfern Primary School, and Langalibalele High Primary School.

Just a short drive away, the Ohlange Institute looms large, a beacon of education and empowerment founded in 1901 by John Langalibalele Dube, affectionately called “Mafukuzela.”

Born in Inanda in 1871 to Christian converts, Dube was a visionary-philosopher, poet, and the first president of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC), which evolved into the African National Congress (ANC) in 1912.

Inspired by Booker T. Washington’s Tuskegee Institute, Dube established Ohlange as the first Black-controlled school in South Africa, a radical act in an era of oppression.

As you stand in the JL Dube Hall, where Dube’s grave and a bronze statue of Nelson Mandela mark the site, the weight of history settles in.

This is where Mandela cast his vote on April 27, 1994, in South Africa’s first democratic election, a moment he described as a tribute to Dube’s legacy.