Nongoma

Province

Nongoma is a city in the South African province of KwaZulu -Natal. It is located in the village of the same district in Zululand. The city is located 300 km north of Durban and 56 km from Ulundi. Nongoma is surrounded by Ngome forest. It is a market town with a large catchment area. 2011 Nongoma had 7,629 inhabitants.

In the area around Nongoma there are four royal palaces belonging to the current Zulu King Goodwill Zwelethini kaBhekuzulu:

• Khethomthandayo Royal Palace - residence of one of his women
• Kwakhangelamankengane Royal Palace - residence of his third wife Princess Queen Mantfombi Dlamini -Zulu
• Linduzulu Royal Palace - residence of his first wife Queen MaNdlovu
• Enyokeni Royal Palace - Traditional King's palace and residence of Queen MaMchiza. In early September is here instead of Umhlanga (, reed dance ').

History

The area around Nongoma was formerly the home of King Zwide, a ruler of Ndwandwe in the late 18th century, which was defeated by Shaka at the beginning of the Mfecane wars. On March 30, 1883, the Zulu Regiment Mandlakazi defeated under Zibhebhu the Zulu Regiment Usuthu of King Cetshwayo in Msebe Valley near Nongoma.

The city itself was founded in 1887 with the construction of Fort Ivuna. The area around the fort was used by the British as a buffer zone between the each other warlike behaving Zulu groups. Originally called the place Ndwandwe. Later, however, he was renamed after the name of the holy place, the gave him the tribesmen located here: KwaNongoma (, place of psychic '). In June 1888 Nongoma was destroyed by the Zulu group Usuthu, but then rebuilt. The fort was also used during the Bambatha Rebellion of 1906.

Two Zulu rulers were buried in the area around Nongoma:

• Solomon ka Dinizulu (1891-1933), the son of Dinizulu
• Cyprian Bhekuzulu ka Solomon (1924-1968), son of King Solomon ka Dinuzulu and father of the current Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini