Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal

Dundee
Dutch Reformed Church, Dundee
Dutch Reformed Church, Dundee
Dundee is located in KwaZulu-Natal
Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is located in South Africa
Dundee
Dundee
Coordinates: 28°10′21″S 30°13′53″E / 28.17250°S 30.23139°E / -28.17250; 30.23139
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceKwaZulu-Natal
DistrictUmzinyathi
MunicipalityEndumeni
Established1835[1]
Area
 • Total48.60 km2 (18.76 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total34,924
 • Density720/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African81.2%
 • Coloured4.1%
 • Indian/Asian7.0%
 • White7.2%
 • Other0.5%
First languages (2011)
 • Zulu76.3%
 • English15.6%
 • Afrikaans4.5%
 • Other3.7%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
3000
PO box
3000
Area code034

The coal mining town of Dundee is situated in a valley of the Biggarsberg mountains in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (28°10′S 30°14′E / 28.167°S 30.233°E / -28.167; 30.233). It is part of the Endumeni Municipality, Umzinyathi District. It is very rich in coal deposits. More populous than the town of Dundee is its adjacent township named Sibongile. This township is now being extended with many residing zones, e.g. Lindelani.

Dundee was established by Peter Smith, with land contributed by his son in-law, in 1882 after the realisation that the valley was a natural way for travellers into the interior of Africa. Traders, hunters explorers, missionaries and soldiers all made their way through here. A large fort, Fort Jones, housed British troops in the area during the Anglo Zulu War of 1879. The discovery of coal in the area dates from early Voortrekker records of 1838 and later geological surveys in the 1860s. It is named after the hometown of a pioneering Scottish settler, Peter Smith. At first, Dundee was a farm (Dundee farm), the property of Peter Smith, which he had bought from a Voortrekker settler, Mr Dekker. Three other men are also credited with the founding of Dundee; his son William Craighead Smith, son-in-law Dugald McPhail, and close family friend Charles Wilson.<Talana Museum>

  1. ^ Robson, Linda Gillian (2011). "Annexure A" (PDF). The Royal Engineers and settlement planning in the Cape Colony 1806–1872: Approach, methodology and impact (PhD thesis). University of Pretoria. pp. xlv–lii. hdl:2263/26503.
  2. ^ a b c d "Main Place Dundee". Census 2011.