Umvoti KwaZulu Natal Umvoti is the Zulu Name For The Municipality & River
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Umvoti means ‘the one who flows quietly’
Umvoti village in Kwazulu Natal was established by the 1848 Land Commission. It was renamed Greytown in 1854, after Sir George Grey, the Governor of the Cape.
Enhlalakahle, now amalgamated with Greytown, started off as Ezitendeni. Mud huts were erected on the fringe of Greytown, and when these houses were replaced by brick in the 1950s, this area was renamed Georgeville (also after Sir George Grey).
Greytown was known by the Zulus as Umgungundlovana (the place of the little elephant).
In 1897 Greytown formed a Town Board. In 1915 Greytown became a borough with its first Town Clerk, Mr A C Arbous. Greytown was also the site of the Bhambatha Rebellion from January to August 1906. The rebellion cost Natal nearly £1 000 000, and numerous casualties. The total losses amongst the rebels are estimated at over 2 000.
Places of interest in Umvoti KwaZulu Natal
The Battlefields route; Gen. Louis Botha’s birthplace on the farm Honeyfontein; The 120 year old giant fig tree in Greytown Museum grounds; Bhambatha’s Rock; Remnants of Forts Cherry, Ahrens, Buckingham, Wolftrap, Mispah and Bengough, of which most were erected during the Zulu War of 1879 and reused during the Bhambatha Rebellion; Greytown Town Hall, opened in 1904; The Methodist Church built in 1877 is the oldest church in Greytown; The Dutch Reformed Church Bell from 1861; Scenic drives can be taken in the area; Lake Merthly is a popular attraction for visitors and tourists.
Umvoti's museums and galleries
Greytown Museum and Community Tourism Information Centre. Situated in a historical monument (old magistrates’residency and former home of General Louis Botha’s sister). It is crammed with memorabilia from Anglo Zulu and South African Wars, Bhambatha Rebellion, World War I, World War II and the Liberation struggle.
Hermannsburg Museum – An old mission house that reflects early missionary life and Zulu culture, as well as a blacksmith’s forge.
Towns within the municipal boundaries: Ahrens, Fort Mtombeni, Greytown, Hermannsburg, Kranskop, Mount Elias, Muden, Sevenoaks .
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