Howick Falls is a waterfall in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal Province,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. The waterfall is approximately 95 m in height (310 feet) and lies on the

Umgeni River The Umgeni River or Mgeni River ( zu, uMngeni) is a river in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It rises in the "Dargle" in the KZN Midlands, and its mouth is at Durban, some distance north of Durban's natural harbour. The name is taken to mean "the r ...

. The

Zulu people Zulu people (; zu, amaZulu) are a Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group and nation in South Africa, with an estimated 10–12 million people, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Nata ...

called the falls ''KwaNogqaza'', which means "Place of the Tall One".

Identified geographical feature

The KwaZulu-Natal province has known human occupation for well over 30,000 years and KwaNogqaza was a well known site prior to any western influence, given the rich legend surrounding the area.

Human interaction

Many people have been swept over the falls, especially in the pioneer days of the province, as some settlers thought the easiest place to cross the river was just above the falls. There have been a recorded 40 deaths surrounding Howick falls with the first recorded death occurring in 1851. Most of these have been recorded as suicides but accidents and murder have also been known to happen, contributing to if not maintaining the local legendary status of the falls. In 1999,

Jeb Corliss Jeb Corliss (born March 25, 1976) is an American professional skydiver and BASE jumper. He has jumped from sites including Paris's Eiffel Tower, Seattle's Space Needle, the '' Christ the Redeemer'' statue in Rio de Janeiro and the Petronas Twi ...

had a near-fatal BASE jump into the waterfalls where his chute opening went asymmetric and he could not avoid flying into the downpouring water.The Jeb Corliss Story
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Myth & folk-lore

According to local legend, the pool at the bottom of the falls is the residence of the Inkanyamba, a giant serpent-like creature. According to lore only

sangomas Traditional healers of Southern Africa are practitioners of traditional African medicine in Southern Africa. They fulfill different social and political roles in the community, including divination, healing physical, emotional and spiritua ...

can safely approach the falls and then only to offer prayers and other acts of worship to the inkanyamba, ancestral spirits and the 'Great God'.

Tourism

Despite, or perhaps because of its chequered history, kwaNogqaza has become a principal tourist attraction for the KwaZulu-Natal midlands.

References

* Waterfalls of South Africa Landforms of KwaZulu-Natal Tourist attractions in KwaZulu-Natal {{KwaZuluNatal-geo-stub

Identified geographical feature

Human interaction

Myth & folk-lore

Tourism

See also

References