Pomeroy (renamed Solomon Linda in 2022) is a small town on the R33 road in

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, some 72 kilometers north of Greytown and 56 kilometers south-south-east of

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

. The town was named for the noble Sir

George Pomeroy Colley Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Sir George Pomeroy Colley, (1 November 1835 – 27 February 1881) was a British Army officer who became Governor of Natal, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Natal and High Commissioner for South Ea ...

, who led the ill-fated

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

force during the

Battle of Majuba Hill The Battle of Majuba Hill on 27 February 1881 was the final and decisive battle of the First Boer War that was a resounding victory for the Boers. The British Major General Sir George Pomeroy Colley occupied the summit of the hill on the night ...

in 1881. The town was established initially as the Gordon Memorial Mission in 1867 in memory of James Henry Hamilton-Gordon, the son of

George Hamilton-Gordon, 5th Earl of Aberdeen George John James Hamilton-Gordon, 5th Earl of Aberdeen (28 September 1816 – 22 March 1864), styled Lord Haddo before 1860, was a British peer and Liberal Party politician. Early life Lord Haddo was born at Bentley Priory in Hertfordshi ...

. The mission worked with the

Zulus Zulu people (; ) are a native people of Southern Africa of the Nguni. The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group and nation in South Africa, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. They originated from Nguni communities who took p ...

. A wealthy family of North Indian origin, the Boodhoo family, developed the mission further. A Mr. Boodhoo, whom Herman Boodhoo succeeded, first developed two stores. Herman Boodhoo further established a toy manufacturing shop and the company’s first supermarkets, Boodhoo Bros and Boodhoo & Sons. Herman Boodhoo’s successor, Puren Boodhoo, was a strong political figure, businessman, farmer, and sportsman, especially in golf and tennis. Puren Boodhoo also supported and hosted the local community’s sporting events. Rambally Boodhoo, his successor, furthered the business and supported town growth still. Like his predecessor, Rambally Boodhoo was a strong golf and tennis player, once being the captain of the local tennis team. Finally, Dan Boodhoo, a great entrepreneur, succeeded him. Presently, the work of the Boodhoo Dynasty still holds together the town.

References

Populated places in the Msinga Local Municipality Populated places established in 1867 {{KwaZuluNatal-geo-stub