WELCOME TO EMPANGENI
HISTORYThere is a lot of speculation surrounding the origin of the name Empangeni. Some say it is from the nearby stream named after the Mpanga trees which grow there. Other sources believe that it was derived from the Zulu word "panga" which means "to grab", because it is well known that in the old days crocodiles used to "panga" the unwary water bearer. Yet another theroy is that the name was derived from the Emmangweni or Mpangisweni military kraals which zulu warriors had established near the present day town.
By 1824 the entire Zululand was under the control of the abakwazulu, previously a small and insignificant clan. The Bulawayo capital of the zulus was moved from the Mkubane sight and rebuilt on a hilltop overlooking the Mhlatuze River near the present Eshowe / Empangeni road. It was here that Shaka, king of the zulus, met pioneer Natal settlers Fynn, Farewell and Isaacs.
Rev. Aldrin Grout started the Inkanyeza Mission in April 1841. This first white settlement in the area was abandoned during tribal hostilities fifteen months later.
White settlers returned in 1851 when the Norwegian mission was established and by 1894 the lower Umfolozi Magistry was established in Empangeni which was becoming an active trading centre.
The railway link between Durban and Eshowe was completed in January 1903. Three years later the village of Empangeni was surveyed and established. Rapid expansion began when a sugar mill was erected at Felixton. The establishment of the Empangeni Sugar Mill set the area on the road to rapid development.
Empangeni was officially proclaimed as a township on 15 January 1931 and declared a borough on 13 October 1960.
Empangeni Magistrate built in March 1896
LOCALITYEmpangeni is situated in attractive hilly country side, overlooking a flat coastal plain, 90 to 150 metres above sea level with panoramic views of Richards Bay and the Indian Ocean from the higher lying suburbs. It is approximately 160km north of Durban and is strategically located in terms of the hinterland, as it functions as a node point in the region from which higher order services and goods can be acquired. It is well situated in terms of the road and rail networks in northern Natal, with excellent access to the Gauteng area.
