Tongaat historian Tholsi Mudly’s third book Glimpses of Tongaat is as much a personal journey as it is academic.

Descended on both sides from indentured labourers, Tholsi’s first memories are from a childhood spent in the Inyaninga Barracks, a former Tongaat Hulett housing compound for workers’ families.

She found her way back to Inyaninga in retirement while researching for her first book, A Tribute to Our Forefathers, which told the story of her relatives and of Indian labourers in Tongaat.

The process of reaching back through her family’s archives solidified a love of local history and Glimpses of Tongaat widens the scope to include the entire town.

“We have such a vibrant history in Tongaat that will get lost with our generation if we do not preserve it,” said Tholsi.

“It is important that the youth has an understanding of who came before them. Context makes a difference.”

The process of researching and writing Glimpses took a few years, with Tholsi first visiting museums and public collections, before meeting with elders in the community who shared their family stories.

The book reflects the personal histories as much as the town’s, weaving in individual stories of businessmen, religious figures, sportspeople and farmers with the development they helped usher in.

In the space of a few pages you can read fascinating details about famous residents of the town, including activist Gopalall Hurbans, who helped shelter Nelson Mandela; pioneering malaria doctor Paul Labuschagne and political leader Ian Mkhize, who resisted a push for Hambanathi to be included in the homeland system.

“I have sat in many front rooms over the past few years and wanted to say thank you to everyone who opened their personal records to me,” she said.

“Tongaat Hulett’s archive has been a great help too and I was privileged to have access. Thanks also to everyone who helped spread the call for information, including the Courier.”

Such was the outpouring of information that Tholsi said she has enough for a follow-up book, which she plans to start soon. Her other project is to lobby for a museum to be built in Tongaat, something she thinks is sorely lacking in the community.

In the meantime, if you are looking to deepen your knowledge of Tongaat, you can buy Glimpses of Tongaat from madeindurban.co.za at a cost of R450.

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