History
It was founded around 1820 by King Shaka as KwaDukuza (Zulu: Place of the Lost Person) because of the capital's complex labyrinth of huts. After Shaka's assassination in a coup by two of his half-brothers, Dingane and Umthlangana (Mhlangane), on 24 September 1828, the town was burnt to the ground. In 1873, European settlers built a town on the site, and named it Stanger after William Stanger, the Surveyor-General of Natal.
Today, a small museum adjoins the site of King Shaka's grave, a grain pit, in the town centre. The otherwise simple town and its vibrant inhabitants are surrounded by sugar cane fields, bush, and the mahogany tree where King Shaka held meetings still stands in front of the municipal offices. The Shaka Day festival, a colourful ceremony of 10,000 or more Zulus, is held at the KwaDukuza Recreation Grounds on 24 September each year. This festival is usually attended by High level dignatries to mark the significance of the Zulu nation.
KwaDukuza is a cane growing centre and a bustling town. The Stanger North Coast Museum houses a great variety of historical items and information on King Shaka, the sugar industry and local history.
Stanger became a municipality in 1949 and is the commercial, magisterial and railway centre for one of the more important sugar producing districts.
The modern day town area of KwaDukuza has a distinct eastern flavour due the import of Indian labourers during the late 19th century to early 20th century to work under the name of sugar cane barons like Sir Liege Hulett. India sponsored indentured labourers to South Africa as the Zulus were not inclined to farm labour. The first few hundreds of Indian families departed northwards from Port Natal to the cane farms that applied for them, on 17 November 1860. The idea of importing Indian labourers was abandoned in 1911 after their numbers exceeded one hundred thousand. Most Indians did not return to India after their work contracts expired, and exchanged their return trip passes for currency or property. The expansion of the Indian community brought about a change in the economical and cultural attributes of KwaDukuza.
Some of the celebrations of the town include the annual Diwali and Winter Fair celebrations. Both of these events are considered major highlights by the members of the community, and are widely published in the local papers. The Diwali celebration usually commences at least 2 weeks before the actual event with what is known as the "switch-on". Residents of the town are greeted to a spectacular display of multi-coloured lights, arranged in Hindu religious symbols on the main highway. A mini fireworks display generally follows this event and is considered a very exciting moment in the annual calendar. A week later the main celebration commences, featuring song, dance, recitals, free food and a magnificent professionally choreographed pyrotechnic display. The Winter Fair is now an annual event due to increased popularity in recent times, and is used as a way of raising funds for the child welfare.
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