Kwazulu-Natal

A soldier who would one day retire in Hermanus surprised himself by earning the highest British military award. He is William Henry Hewitt who was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1917 and who lived in Natal, South Africa between 1905 and 1915 and in Hermanus in the 1950s. He returned to the UK only when he was terminally ill early in the 1960s, but left instructions that his body should be cremated and the ashes cast into the sea at his favourite resting place along the Hermanus Cliff Path.

William Henry Hewitt (Wikipedia)

The son of a butcher and farmer, William Hewitt was born at West Hill, Elm Lane, Copdock, in Suffolk in June 1884. He attended Framlingham College between 1894 and 1900. In the spring of 1905 he immigrated to South Africa and as early as 1907 he applied for naturalisation as a South African and became a citizen as soon as the Union of South Africa was established in 1910.

Framlingham College

From 1906, Hewitt worked in the Colony of Natal where he joined the South African Constabulary, which was an extra-military peace-keeping force that had been established by Lord Baden-Powell during the South African...

The railways of Southern Africa have developed since the mid-nineteenth century and the earliest built were based on the proven technology of the railways of Great Britain. The first railway lines were begun in 1859 in Cape Town and Durban (for more information click here for “Ox-Wagon to Iron Horse”) and were laid to the gauge of 4ft-8½in (1435mm). Durban had the bragging rights for the first railway to be completed - the “Natal Railway” which opened to great celebration on the 26th June 1860, with its first train running from Market Square to the Point, a distance of a mere two miles (3.2 km). However, the Cape Town to Wellington Railway (CT &W) was a far more auspicious undertaking and it was opened throughout on the 4th November 1863. The next 37 years leading to the turn of the century, would see a network of railway lines running many hundreds of miles from the ports into the interior as direct consequence of the major discoveries of mineral wealth, most notably diamonds, gold and coal. However, the topography of South Africa would be a major problem for the railway builders and it was realised early on that a change to a narrower gauge, in order to better negotiate the climb up the escarpment to the Highveld, was needed. The consensus was that a gauge of no less than 42 inches (1 067mm) be implemented for future railway construction (i.e. after 1872), which would become known as the Cape Gauge...

In a recent article published by the author (click here to view), reference was made to a modern photographic phenomenon, namely “found photographs”. In short: “Found photographs” are discarded vintage photographs typically found at charity stores, car boot sales, flea markets or antique fairs. As a single image, any “found” or the converse thereof, “lost” photograph, has sadly lost its original context when viewed by a total stranger who would have no context to the photograph. A different context can however be provided again when “lost” images are clustered together into a theme, such as the one presented in this article.

This article focuses solely on the pavement photographs taken on South African streets prior to the 1970s. At a recent antique fair, the author obtained a discarded photo album, containing several pavement photographs.

Two elegant ladies walking down a street in Durban. They can clearly be seen “courting” the camera.

Two young ladies walking down a street in Johannesburg. They both seem somewhat...

Settlers from Northern Germany came into Natal in two main groups. The first to arrive was a group contracted to the Natal Cotton Company. This was a company established by Jonas Bergtheil, who had come from Germany in 1843 scouting for business opportunities in the region. He found one when he noticed cotton being grown. He set up the company and placed an advertisement in newspapers in the Kingdom of Hannover asking for farmers with families. 188 arrived in 1848 and they started farming in an area they called Neu Deutschland (today it is New Germany near Pinetown).

The other major influx of people was through The Hermannsburg Mission Society. From 1854 the mission sent missionaries, tradesmen and farmers to Natal to set up mission stations. What happened in many cases was that the mission ran out of money and the farmers and tradespeople had to earn an income from other sources, mainly farming.

What they all had in common was that they were of the German Lutheran confession. It was thus that they established their own congregations wherever there were sufficient numbers. 

New Hannover

The contract with the Natal Cotton Company in New Germany was for 5 years. Many of the farmers did not renew their contracts and preferred to move further inland to set up their own farming ventures. Farmers from Hermannsburg joined them and by 1858 the numbers were strong enough to form a congregation of their own.

In the early years, all they had was a reed hut serving as a church and school. This was followed by a...

In the article below, Dr J. Pringle tells the inspiring story of the preservation of the St Johns Presbyterian Church clock in Pietermaritzburg. The piece was first published in the 1980 edition of Restorica, the journal of the Simon van der Stel Foundation (today the Heritage Association of South Africa). Thank you to the University of Pretoria (copyright holders) for giving us permission to publish.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have called this special congregational meeting because we have reached a critical point in the history of our church," said Rev. John Gould Smith, Pastor of the St Johns Presbyterian Church Pietermaritzburg on 19th May 1897. "As you have seen from the Balance Sheet, we have a credit balance for the year of £3.13.5, but this surplus was only possible because repairs to our buildings were deferred. Your Board wish to submit three resolutions -

1. that the mechanism of the clock in the First Presbyterian Church be sold. This clock is no longer required as the clock in the tower of the City Hall is sufficient for our town; it is a burden on the Church finances as we had to pay £10 last year for its maintenance and furthermore in a few years time it will deteriorate so much that it will be practically useless. We have received an offer of £120 from the Greytown Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebration committee.
2. that the Manse be sold. This house is old, inconvenient and is a continual source of expense to maintain;
3. that...

The history around photography and photographers active in South Africa during the mid-1880s to early 1910s remains a vastly untapped field of research.

This article came about after receiving a photograph of Carl Wundram from a great grandchild of his, Johann Basson. Images of earlier photographers themselves are scarce. The primary reasons for this may be two-fold, namely that earlier photographers clearly preferred to stand behind the camera and not in front of it, or that their names were not recorded on either the photographs that may have been taken of them or in photo albums itself.

German immigrants arrived in Natal as early as 1848 with many of their countrymen following in their footsteps. They mainly arrived in their capacity as missionaries, farmers or tradesmen. Many of these German families subsequently settled in some of the smaller Natal towns and villages such as Piet Retief and nearby Paulpietersburg and Lüneburg where German influences are still evident today.

One such settler was Carl Friedrich Adolf Wundram who arrived in Natal during 1885. Born on 8 January 1863 in Beckedorf, Prussia (lower Saxony), Germany, Wundram emigrated to South Africa at the age of 22.

On his arrival in Natal, Wundram was not a practising photographer. He only took up this trade some years later. It is not clear what he did during the first 5 years after arriving in South Africa. It is assumed that he picked up the skill as a telegraphist during this period in that during April 1890...

In the article below, journalist Lucille Davie recounts the fascinating story behind Nelson Mandela's capture near Howick in the early 1960s. The piece was originally published on the Brand South Africa website on 2 July 2013. Click here to view more of Davie's writing.

Nelson Mandela’s head rises dramatically from the ground on a small plot outside the village of Howick in KwaZulu-Natal. His face is sculpted in 50 thin steel columns, marking the spot where he was arrested in 1962.

It was here, on 5 August 1962, that Mandela’s car was stopped by the security police, and his life took a completely different course. He was on his way back to Johannesburg after visiting Chief Albert Luthuli, at the time the president of the African National Congress (ANC), in Groutville, some 80km north of Durban. He posed as a chauffeur, driving with Cecil Williams, a theatre director and member of Umkhonto we Sizwe or MK, the armed wing of the ANC.

The sculpture, by artist Marco Cianfanelli, consists of 50 steel columns, ranging in height from 6.5m to 9.5m. A path leads to the sculpture; at 35m, the portrait comes into focus, with the 50 columns perfectly in line to represent his face in a flat image. The site was unveiled in August 2012 – the 50 columns representing the 50 years since Mandela’s capture. It was designed by architect Jeremy Rose of Mashabane Rose Associates.

Cianfanelli says that they “wanted to create an iconic and monumental sculpture...

The old Durban Railway Station is a much-loved landmark that plays a key role in Durban's tourism offering. It is hard to imagine there was a time when the powers that be planned to demolish the structure and redevelop the site. The article below which appeared in the Sunday Tribune on 10 October 1976, begins by describing the threat to the building and then highlights its architectural and historical significance. Thankfully the façade of the building was saved with a new office building built behind. The locomotive workshops were also preserved and converted for retail use. 

The article was republished in the 1977 edition of Restorica, the journal of the Simon van der Stel Foundation (today the Heritage Association of South Africa). Thank you to the University of Pretoria (copyright holders) for giving us permission to publish.

For 50 years Durban residents have been fighting about whether to destroy or preserve the much maligned old red-brick railway station which stands on the corner of Pine and Gardiner streets. "Tear it down," shout its opponents, while equally ardent voices cry for it to be made a national monument.

The most recent wrangle was sparked by former city councillor Pat Geary, who advocated the destruction of the building so often described as a "badly iced cake". In a Tribune Property report she called it a monstrosity. The Natal Provincial Institute of Architects were quick to challenge her and renew their call for its preservation. 

And this week Durban architect Ivor Daniel, who is determined to save the old station, outlined its...

My five older siblings had all been to missionary schools and turned out exceptionally well. My parents probably chose Inanda because of the school’s reputation and the fact that family friends had sent their children there, so I would have older friends to look after me.

The writer with her classmates in a 1975 class photo. She is fourth from left top row

Missionary schools had a very good reputation and that instilled a sense of pride in us as individuals and also a sense of connectedness to children who attended other missionary schools like Ohlange, Adams Mission, and St Mary’s. Ohlange and Adams Mission had a very rich history and heritage, very similar to our own school and our school’s connection to them also meant that there was some contact with ‘good’ boys (many of whom became future spouses of Inanda girls).

My sister, Palesa, matriculated from Inanda two years before I joined the school. I started in Form 1 – which would be Grade 8 in terms of the current system, although our group was the last one that did eight years of Primary School, before proceeding to...

The short article below, written by an unknown author, tells the story of the restoration of the Old Ireland Building (Edgars) on Church Street, Pietermaritzburg. The piece appeared in the 1979 edition of Restorica, the journal of the Simon van der Stel Foundation (today the Heritage Association of South Africa). Thank you to the University of Pretoria (copyright holders) for giving us permission to publish.

Walking down Church Street in Pietermaritzburg, one building immediately catches the eye and irresistibly draws one nearer. Dominating the street scene, it forms a lovely whole with the many other old buildings of historical value and the quaint and interesting arcades that form the city centre. 

The building houses a well-known departmental store, but what attracts customers - especially visitors to the city isn't tempting sales offers or special low prices, but the unusual exterior. Delicate white-painted lattice-work fit to decorate any wedding cake, a wide sidewalk and larger-than-life pictures of ladies and gentlemen from grandpa's day beckoning one from between hundred-year-old carved wooden door and window frames to enter, try and buy. 

Stepping closer, one notices the brass plate mounted near the entrance to the store, presented by the Pietermaritzburg Society in recognition of the management's far-sighted and restorative contribution to the city. The charming frontage belonged to the original old Ireland's departmental store, a framed picture of which has the place of honour in the manager's office and has also been presented by the Society for this "fine example of what imaginative business can...