Greytown, South Africa Explained

Greytown
Pushpin Map:South Africa KwaZulu-Natal#South Africa
Coordinates:-29.0667°N 65°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:South Africa
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:KwaZulu-Natal
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Umzinyathi
Subdivision Type3:Municipality
Subdivision Name3:Umvoti
Subdivision Type4:Main Place
Established Title:Established
Established Date:1854[1]
Leader Title:Councillor
Area Footnotes:[2]
Area Total Km2:4.75
Population Total:9090
Population As Of:2011
Population Density Km2:auto
Demographics Type1:Racial makeup (2011)
Demographics1 Title1:Black African
Demographics1 Info1:60.1%
Demographics1 Title2:Coloured
Demographics1 Info2:5.5%
Demographics1 Title3:Indian/Asian
Demographics1 Info3:22.3%
Demographics1 Title4:White
Demographics1 Info4:11.2%
Demographics1 Title5:Other
Demographics1 Info5:1.0%
Demographics Type2:First languages (2011)
Demographics2 Title1:Zulu
Demographics2 Info1:53.1%
Demographics2 Title2:English
Demographics2 Info2:36.9%
Demographics2 Title3:Afrikaans
Demographics2 Info3:5.2%
Demographics2 Title5:Other
Demographics2 Info5:4.8%
Timezone1:SAST
Utc Offset1:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code (street)
Postal Code:3250
Postal2 Code Type:PO box
Postal2 Code:3250
Area Code Type:Area code
Area Code:033
Website:www.greytown.co.za

Greytown is a town situated on the banks of a tributary of the uMvoti River in a richly fertile timber-producing area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

History

Greytown was established in the 1850s and named after the governor of the Cape Colony Sir George Edward Grey who later became Premier of New Zealand. A Lutheran church was built in 1854. A church bell which was brought to the town for the Dutch Reformed Church in 1861 to summon worshipers. The Dutch and English congregations were the centre of a series of theological arguments and the church bell was stolen and buried, only to be found 74 years later upon the construction of some cottages near the old church BOBBERY. A strikingly designed Town Hall was opened in 1904. In 1906 following a poll tax and other oppressive measures imposed on the Zulus, the Bambatha Rebellion took place.

The final resting place of Sarie Marais is at Greytown. Sarie was a legendary Voortrekker woman who died, aged 37, with the birth of her 11th child and is immortalised by the eponymous song, an indelible part of South African culture.
Louis Botha, the Second Boer War General and first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, was born on a farm 5 km south of Greytown. The old farmhouse was destroyed by British Forces during search and destroy operations. Louis Botha led the Boer forces during their victory over the British at the Battle of Spion Kop.

Artist Wonderboy Nxumalo was born in Greytown, and died there in 2008.[3]

Education

Deutsche Schule Hermannsburg, a private school 25km (16miles) away from Greytown, offers a bus service for students who reside in Greytown.[4]

Wembley College is also a private school in Greytown. It has boarding and uses the Cambridge system.

Notes and References

  1. Robson . Linda Gillian . The Royal Engineers and settlement planning in the Cape Colony 1806–1872: Approach, methodology and impact . 2011 . PhD thesis . University of Pretoria . Annexure A . https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/26503/05back.pdf?sequence=6&isAllowed=y#page=31 . 2263/26503 . xlv–lii . 21 May 2024 . 26 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230326030353/https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/26503 . live .
  2. Web site: Main Place Greytown . Census 2011 . 21 May 2024 . 26 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230826060821/http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/577023 . live .
  3. https://www.scribd.com/document/5492272/South-African-Art-Times-September-2008 "Wonderboy Nxumalo 33"
  4. "Fact Sheet ." Deutsche Schule Hermannsburg. Retrieved on November 6, 2015.