Dundee’s military past was re-discovered when workmen stumbled across 98 unspent cartridges, which probably date back to the Anglo Zulu War, police said.
The find was made by workers digging a trench at the new St John’s Church at the entrance to Sibongile. The stash of rusty ammunition – including a collection of spent shells – was found about a metre from the surface.
Police were called in, and members of the Newcastle Explosive Unit were dispatched to bag the historic find. Sadly, the old ammunition is to be destroyed in terms of regulations, police confirmed.
Work is continuing in the area, and police believe there may be more ‘explosive findings’ to come. 
“The ammunition may have been buried during the 1899 war, and through erosion and flooding has probably worked it’s way up towards the surface,” a police spokesman explained. Fittingly, the find was made during Heritage Month, which confirms Dundee’s claim as Northern KZN’s heritage capital.