International Students Learn About the Rich History of Inanda Township

International Students Learn About the Rich History of Inanda Township

UKZN’s International Relations Office took second semester international students on a tour of Inanda, during which they learned about the township and the role it plays in the history of South Africa.

The day began with Ms Sithokozile Mtshatsha of the International Student Support Office showing the students around Durban. They were taken past the famous Victoria Market and driven down Dr Pixley KaSeme Street (formerly West Street) – one of the busiest areas in the Durban CBD. They were then treated to the scenic views of the beachfront before heading to the township of Inanda. 

Upon arrival at Inanda, the first stop was the Mahatma Gandhi House, where Mr Bongani Mthembu, the Senior Tourism Officer and Tour Guide, showed students around and shared the important history represented by it. Ms Yeona Lee, an exchange student from South Korea, commented how special it was to finally get to visit one of the places she had read about in text books. 

Next was the Ohlange High School where the house and grave of Mr John Langalibalele Dube are situated. Dube was the founder of the school and the founding president of the South African Native National Congress, which later became the African National Congress. 

Senior Tourism Officer at the heritage site Mr Mandla Nxumalo led students around the site, they visited the house which has a piano and a desk Dube used. Last stop was the hall where former president Nelson Mandela cast his vote in the country’s first democratic elections in 1994. 

An Electrical Engineering master’s candidate from Kenya, Mr Gilbert Machani, praised Dube, Mandela and Gandhi for their contribution to the history of South Africa and the Inanda tourism office for preserving that history for others to experience and learn about. 

Mr Fungai Mudzengerere, a Statistics PhD candidate from Zimbabwe, said he learned a lot and enjoyed the opportunity to mingle with the other international students. 

Mthembu and Nxumalo thanked UKZN for doing student tours in Inanda as this not only educates visitors about the history of Inanda, it also creates employment for the community.

Words: Sinenhlanhla Mkhwanazi

Photographs: Nkosikhona Gcabashe