Umkomaas

History

The area came into prominence in the mid-19th century when Theophilus Shepstone, the Secretary for Native Affairs, proposed the establishment of a “black kingdom” south of the uMkhomazi River in 1851. However, this plan was rejected by the colonial authorities. The first official colonial presence began in July 1853 when Henry Francis Fynn was appointed Assistant Resident Magistrate in the Lower Umkomaas division. He also operated the first ferry service across the river, which was essential due to the presence of crocodiles. The turning point for the South Coast, including Umkomaas, was in 1857 when the Legislative Council decided to promote development by opening up Crown land grants. This led to a flurry of interest, and by 1859, there were 93 colonists in the coastal area between the uMkhomazi and Ifafa rivers. The success of sugar plantations, especially John McKenzie’s Craigie Burn estate, contributed significantly to the area’s development. It was established as settlement around 1861 when a harbor was constructed to facilitate the export of sugar. In Umkomaas, the entry of the ship Natalie was seen as a breakthrough for travel and transportation, as it brought access to Durban within a few hours, saving significant costs per ton of cargo. After inspecting the river mouth in 1872, the Surveyor-General, Dr P.C. Sutherland noted that until the settlement at Umkomaas grew in size, there was no urgency to expend further resources on developing the river mouth. Leading way to the slow disuse of the harbour and eventual abandonment once the dredging of Durban Harbour was successful. A notable event in the village's history was the fatal air crash involving a War Hawk Air Force plane during the Second World War. On 30 March 1944 during a routine practice battle…

Geography

Located approximately 50 km south-west of Durban and almost halfway between Scottburgh and Kingsburgh, eMkhomazi and its neighbouring coastal village of Clansthal form the southernmost part of the eThekwini Municipality and the Sapphire Coast. The uMkhomazi River is a dominant feature of the area, being the largest river on the South Coast. The river is 298 kilometres long, from its source just south of Giant's Castle in the uKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site to its mouth on the Indian Ocean. The river begins its journey at an altitude of over 3,000 metres. Occasionally, raft races, canoeing, and other sporting events are held on the river. The river is a popular white-water rafting destination. During the winter dry season, the river mouth often silts up, but after heavy rains it carries large amounts of brown sediment into the Indian Ocean. Some of this sedimentation is due to anthropogenic (human-made) pressures on the local ecosystem. These pressures include soil erosion caused by over-grazing, intensive cultivation, sewage disposal, informal farming and settlements, timber plantations, and the removal of sand or topsoil from the river's basin. The uMkhomazi river valley is mentioned in an early chapter of Alan Paton's 1948 novel Cry, the Beloved Country. Probably derived from the Zulu word uMkhamazi, the name relates to the sighting of a whale in the river estuary at some point in history. The river's tributaries include the Madoba, Mkhomazana, Mtungwane, Nhlatimbe and Nhlavini. The river's basin covers about 4,315 km2, annual discharge is approximately 1 x 106 m3 and sediment load is an estimated 900 000 tons per year. Some parts of the river basin are vulnerable to flooding due to the steep topography and weather systems, such as…

Most-observed species

• Hadada Ibis

  Bostrychia hagedash (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,457
• Red-eyed Dove

  Streptopelia semitorquata (Rüppell, 1837) · Aves
  1,147
• Black-collared Barbet

  Lybius torquatus (Dumont, 1805) · Aves
  1,063
• Red-winged Starling

  Onychognathus morio (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,017
• Egyptian Goose

  Alopochen aegyptiaca (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  991
• Village Weaver

  Ploceus cucullatus (Statius Muller, 1776) · Aves
  905
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  899
• Bronze mannikin

  Lonchura cucullata (Swainson, 1837) · Aves
  894

Most recent

• M 4.2 — 2019-10-31
  47 km NW of Port Shepstone, South Africa
• M 3.7 — 2016-02-06
  South Africa