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Pongola (also known in Zulu as oPhongolo) is a
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
on the north bank of the uPhongolo River, in a fertile valley on the N2, near the Lubombo Mountains, in the valleys of Zululand, easily accessible to the Swaziland border posts. It was part of the Transvaal panhandle between the Phongolo ( Natal) and
Swaziland Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where ...
(now Eswatini) until 1994, when it was transferred to KwaZulu-Natal. The town takes its name from the uPhongolo River, which in turn derives its name from the isiZulu word for a barrel, vat, trough, or cask. It is a unique and tranquil subtropical environment. It has more than 50 km2 of
sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
and
subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...
plantations surrounding it. During the Depression years of the 1930s, drastic
irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
systems were started in Pongola for sugar cane farms. The town thrived as a result of the canal system and a
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
mill that was built. Today it is part of the uPhongolo Local Municipality. Pongolapoort Dam and Pongola Game Reserve is to the east. It is the only dam in South Africa where
African tigerfish ''Hydrocynus'' is a genus of Characiformes, characin fish in the family Alestidae commonly called "tigerfish," native to Africa. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek ὕδωρ ("water"Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Le ...
(family Alestidæ) can be caught.


Government

The uPhongolo Local Municipality is one of five local municipalities located within the area of the
Zululand District Municipality The Zululand District Municipality () is one of the 11 districts of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. Its seat is Ulundi. As of 2011, a majority of its 803,575 inhabitants spoke isiZulu. The district code is DC26. Geography Neig ...
. The municipality is governed by the ANC Council consisting of 22 Councillors and an executive committee and Hon. Cllr Winile Nhlabathi is the Mayor. The administrative functions are performed by the Municipal Manager and a team of managers. Among other schools, there are Pongola Akademie, Dingukwazi Senior Secondary School and Langa High School.


Economy

Pongola is surrounded by hunting lodges and several have even the Big Five. Some farms specialise in
biltong Biltong is a form of air-dried, cured meat which originated in Southern Africa. Southern African countries include South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini. Various types of meat are used to produce ...
hunting and others concentrate on trophy hunting. Richard Antoine Rouillard, born in the Phoenix district of Mauritius in 1873, was the driving force behind the agricultural and economic prosperity of the Louwsburg and Magut districts. The pioneering spirit which opened up the interior of South Africa came in a variety of guises. Pongola is home to Tugam Game Farm, uPhongolo's oldest game reserve.


Pongolites

People who lived in Pongola, or have a connection to the town and region: *
Zwide kaLanga Zwide kaLanga (c. 1758–1825) was the king of the Ndwandwe (Nxumalo) nation from about 1805 to around 1820. He was the son of Langa KaXaba, a Nxumalo king. Political life Around the time Zwide became king, the Nxumalo were growing in milita ...
(c. 1758–1825), was the king of the Ndwandwe (Nxumalo) nation from about 1805 to about 1820. His royal capital was located on Magudu Mountain, which is located between Pongola and Nongoma. He was killed by
Shaka Shaka kaSenzangakhona (–24 September 1828), also known as Shaka (the) Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reform ...
's soldiers south of present-day Pongola on the mountain that now bears his name, Zwide. His indunas buried him on the southern slopes of Magudu Mountain, where other Ndwandwe chiefs are also buried, in the forest considered sacred by the AmaNdwandwe. *
Johan Kriek Johan Christiaan Kriek (born April 5, 1958) is a South African–American former professional tennis player. As a tennis player, he won two Australian Open titles and reached the semifinals at the French Open and US Open, as well as the quarte ...
(born 1958), former South African and later American tennis player. * Lucas Sithole (1931–1994), South African sculptor. * Nicolene Woschitz (born Smit), short story writer, teacher at Pongola Primary School, farmer and author of the book about the history of the town and region, ''Die Pongola-Vallei. Jewel of Kwazulu-Natal'' he Pongola Valley. Jewel of KwaZulu-Natal


See also

* Ndwandwe * Pongola Commando


References


External links


Pongola Tourism

Pongola Game Reserve

Statistics at Stats SA
Populated places in the uPhongolo Local Municipality {{KwaZuluNatal-geo-stub