Established as a medical settlement by American missionary Dr Newton Adams, it was destroyed by Dingaan before being rebuilt in 1839. Dr Adam’s medical skills benefitted British colonists, Boers, and indigenous residents, with Adams College established in his honour in 1853. Its alumni include presidents of Botswana and Uganda, ministers and leaders of the ANC
KwaMakhutha
Found near Amanzimtoti and Adams Mission, KwaMakhutha has a tragic history. In January 1987, gunmen opened fire on the home of UDF activist Bheki Ntuli. Although Ntuli was not at home at the time, this politically motivated attack left 13 people, most of them women and children, dead.
Folweni
When the apartheid government implemented the Group Areas Act, many Umlazi residents were forcibly removed and relocated to Folweni. In July 1992, a political conflict between ANC and IFP resulted in the murder of 20 people in what’s now known as the Folweni Massacre.
Magabeni
Found just 4km from the ocean is the small township of Magabeni, flanked by the uMkomazi River on the south.
Umbumbulu
Named for the Zulu phrase, meaning a ‘round knoll’, Umbumbulu is surrounded by farming communities with the Ntinyane River flowing through. It was the site of local conflict in the 1970s and 80s, with hundreds murdered and thousands displaced from the area.