Recording Tongaat’s rich history

Tongaat has a fascinating history, which resident historian Tholsi Mudly is chronicling piece by piece.

She hopes to rejuvenate local pride in the town by publishing a book on its history.

This will be her third book after previously publishing A Tribute to our Forefathers and Living the Legacy.

Tribute was published in 2011 and focuses on Mudly’s own family history, growing up in Inyaninga, with a short story of Indian indenture. Her second book was published in 2016 and focuses on the history of the SVET Temple, local people, as well as Maidstone and Gandhi’s Hill.

Located about 20km south-west of Ballito, Tongaat’s history dates back to the 19th century.

It was first inhabited by indigenous people, later becoming a melting pot of different cultures and races as European settlers arrived in the 1830s, with subsequent sugarcane farming leading to the import of indentured Indians to work the fields from 1860.

Sugar became the dominant crop in the region and Tongaat’s economy relied heavily on the industry.

By the late 1800s Tongaat became the largest sugar-producing region in the country.

During apartheid, the town suffered racial disparities, segregated into different areas for different race groups.

Hambanathi township, located on the outskirts of the town, was designated for black residents, while the Indian population was confined to Verulam. Despite the challenges, racial barriers were broken down over time.

Still home to the Maidstone sugar mill which produces sugar for the local and international market, Tongaat remains a small but busy town.

“History is a fascinating subject,” said Tholsi, who is in awe of the work done by the town’s pioneers and the conditions under which they worked.

“Many of us tend to take things for granted and forget to acknowledge the sterling work done by our forefathers.”

She said visitors used to be blown away by the neat and tidy town and the beautiful architecture of Cape Dutch buildings.

“I would like readers to again look at Tongaat with pride despite it now being very dirty and without order. This town was once the pride of Natal.”

Tholsi calls on people with intimate knowledge of the town’s history, its pioneers, history of local estates and townships to reach out to her with information which may contribute to the chronicling of the town’s past.

She can be contacted at 073 152 7256.

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