The Diocese of Zululand is a diocese of the

Anglican Church of Southern Africa The Anglican Church of Southern Africa, known until 2006 as the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, is the province (Anglican), province of the Anglican Communion in the southern part of Africa. The church has twenty-five dioceses, of whi ...

which covers the part of the

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 ...

n province of

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

that lies to the northeast of the Buffalo and

Tugela River The Tugela River ( zu, Thukela; af, Tugelarivier) is the largest river in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. With a total length of , it is one of the most important rivers of the country. The river originates in Mont-aux-Sources of the Dra ...

s. It is divided in ten archdeaconries.

History

The establishment of the Anglican Diocese of Zululand has its roots in the visit of

John Colenso John William Colenso (24 January 1814 – 20 June 1883) was a Cornish cleric and mathematician, defender of the Zulu and biblical scholar, who served as the first Bishop of Natal. He was a scholar of the Zulu language. In his role as an Angl ...

, bishop of Natal, to King

Mpande kaSenzangakhona Mpande kaSenzangakhona (1798–18 October 1872) was monarch of the Zulu Kingdom from 1840 to 1872. He was a half-brother of Sigujana, Shaka and Dingane, who preceded him as Zulu kings. He came to power after he had overthrown Dingane in 1840. ...

in 1859 to secure his permission for a Zulu Mission. Permission was granted and the macaigave Colenso land at for the establishment of a mission station. In 1860, Colenso sent Robert Robertson from Umlazi Mission outside Durban, to start work at KwaMagwaza. After Colenso was excommunicated by the Bishop of Cape Town, Robertson refused to continue to accept him as his bishop. In 1870 on the 8 May, at the Whitehall Chapel in London, Edward Wilkinson was consecrated as the first bishop of the new diocese. He was given the title of ''Bishop for the Zulus and the tribes towards the Zambezi''. The bishop settled at KwaMagwaza. From there he trekked north, establishing missions in

Swaziland Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

and in

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It ...

on his way to

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

. The

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coupl ...

of 1879 saw all the mission buildings in Zululand burned to the ground, as well as a decisive Zulu victory against the British at the

Battle of Isandlwana The Battle of Isandlwana (alternative spelling: Isandhlwana) on 22 January 1879 was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Eleven days after the British commenced their invasion of Zulul ...

. Law and order broke down and KwaMagwaza became a very unsettled area. This resulted in the removal of the diocesan centre to Isandlwana. The second bishop, Douglas MacKenzie (1880), also made Isandlwana his headquarters and set up a training college there. The Cathedral of St. Michael and All Angels is located in Eshowe.

The diocese today

Today the Diocese of Zululand comprises 283 congregations – from the Tugela River in the South to the borders of Mozambique and Swaziland in the North, and inland to the

Diocese of the Highveld The Diocese of the Highveld (formerly the Diocese of South Eastern Transvaal) is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa covering the East Rand in Gauteng province and the southern part of Mpumalanga province in South Africa. The bis ...

. Each parish has a number of out stations and the diocese is served both by a large number of committed priests and by the Sisters of the Holy Name, a community of Zulu nuns.

List of bishops

* Edward Wilkinson 1870–1875 * Douglas MacKenzie 1880–1890 * William Carter 1891–1902 *

Wilmot Vyvyan The Rt Rev Wilmot Lushington Vyvyan (12 August 1861 – 26 August 1937) was an Anglican Bishop in the mid-20th century. Background Born into a noble family on 12 August 1861, Wilmot Vyvyan was educated at Charterhouse and Trinity College, Cam ...

1903–1929 *

Charles Aylen Charles Arthur William Aylen (1882 – 15 August 1972) was an Anglican bishop. Education Aylen was born in Wick, Scotland. He was educated at Bradfield College and Keble College, Oxford.Aylen, Charles Arthur William’, Who Was Who, A & C ...

1930–1935 *

Albert Lee Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also mai ...

1935–1947 *

Eric Trapp Eric Joseph Trapp (17 July 1910 – 8 September 1993) was an Anglican bishop in the mid-20th century. Early life Born on 17 July 1910 and educated at Alderman Newton's School in Leicester, and then at Leeds University, he undertook a period of s ...

1947–1957 * Tom Savage 1958–1966 *

Alphaeus Zulu Alpheus Hamilton Zulu (29 July 190526 August 1987) was an Anglican bishop in the second half of the 20th century. Educated at the University of South Africa, he was ordained in 1940. In 1948 he co-founded with the Revd Philip Mbata, '' Iviyo loFak ...

1966–1975 *

Lawrence Bekisisa Zulu Lawrence Bekisisa Zulu was a South African Anglican bishop. Personal life Zulu went to Cambridge University and graduated with a BA in 1965 and an MA in 1969. Church life Zulu was Bishop of Zululand The Diocese of Zululand is a diocese ...

1975–1993 *

Peter Harker Peter Harker (died 16 December 2016) was bishop of Zululand from 1993 until 1997. Harker was educated at the University of Leeds and the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield; and ordained in 1952. Crockfords 1980-82 p430 (London, OUP, 1983) Aft ...

1993–1997 *

Anthony Mdletshe Anthony Thembinkosi Bonga Mdletshe was an Anglican bishop in South Africa at the end of the 20th century and the start of the 21st. He was dean of Grahamstown from 1992 to 1993 then suffragan bishop of Grahamstown from 1993 to 1997; and bish ...

1997–2005 *

Dino Gabriel Dino Gabriel is an Italian-born Anglican bishop of Natal in South Africa. He has a Swazi wife and they have four children. He is a fluent speaker of Zulu. A former Roman Catholic priest, he came to South Africa as a missionary in 1987. He conv ...

2005–2015 * Monument Makhanya 2016 -2019 * Vikinduku Mnculwane 2021

Coat of arms

The diocese assumed arms around the time of its inception, and had them granted by the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

in 1954 : ''Sable, a bamboo cross eradicated at the foot proper, on a canton Azure bordered Argent a mullet also Argent, a base Vert charged with an anchor Or''.

References

External links

* 1870 establishments in the Colony of Natal Anglican Church of Southern Africa dioceses Diocese of Zululand {{SouthAfrica-org-stub