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From
the past to the future
1650 Earliest known history -the Nqondo clan occupy the land now
known as Cato Manor
1730 They are replaced by the Ntuli clan - it is unclear
what became of the Ntuli clan
1843 George Cato, the first Durban mayor, is given this
area as compensation for land that has been taken
and used for military
purposes
1914 George Cato subdivides and sells the farm to prominent
residents who develop country estates. The landowners
hire out or sell
plots to Indian
market gardeners. Isolated clusters of shacks occupied by Africans
appear along the banks of the Umkhumbane River
1932 Cato Manor is incorporated into the Borough of Durban
1939 An influx of Africans into Durban transforms the cultural
mix and life in Cato Manor as many settle there
1945
Indians and Africans come into frequent contact in
both their working and social lives and a vibrant,
hybrid
culture evolves.
However, all
is not well. Friction mounts as African tenants level allegations
of exorbitant rent-hikes and forced overcrowding against
their Indian
landlords. Certain white elements help foster this
resentment in the name of 'divide-and-rule'
or due to their jealousy of Indian advancement
 1949 African-Indian hatred reaches boiling point on Thursday
13 January, when a racial incident in Grey Street sparks
a violent
anti-Indian
war that
spreads to Cato Manor. A two-day orgy of murder, looting and
arson in the slum-land makes world headlines as 137
die and thousands
are injured.
Shops, homes and public buildings are destroyed and most Indian
landowners lose their properties to African shack lords
and traders. Following
the riots, Indian landlords return to collect rents
or let entire plots to
Africans who then erect more shacks and sub-let them. By now
there are 6 000 shacks in the area and the population
is between
45 000 and 50
000
1950 The Group Areas Act, the Population Registration Act,
the Immorality Act and the Suppression of Communism
Act
are passed
1952 The Durban City Council acquires land from Indian
landowners to build the Emergency Camp to accommodate
the homeless,
later to become known
as 'Umkhumbane' after the river.
The
camp is overpopulated and the municipality encounters
many problems controlling the homemade distilled
liquor called 'shimeyane',
which is the only source of income for unemployed
African women
 Mid 1950's Cato
Manor becomes a centre of political militancy. Chief
Luthuli visits Cato Manor and mobilizes
support for the
ANC by linking
Cato Manor's
problems with the struggle against apartheid
and the area becomes a seat of the ANC underground.
The ANC Women's
League organizes protests against the proposed
pass laws for women.
Government
instructs the municipality to develop a new housing scheme
at KwaMashu and set up a temporary
transit
camp in Cato
Manor
1959 Attempts to forcibly move people to the racially
exclusive African and Indian townships
of KwaMashu, Umlazi and
Chatsworth miles
away meet with
stiff resistance and increasing pass and liquor
raids raise tensions. In reaction, the beerhall
riots
take place
at these symbols of
the apartheid government
1960 Nine
policemen are killed by a mob in the Emergency Camp,
tipping the
scales
against
Cato Manor.
The rapid clearance
of the area
begins 1964 Monday 31 August - Umkhumbane ceases
to exist as the last shack is bulldozed
1968 Cato Manor is largely vacant, with
only a few solitary homes, shops,
the beerhall
and
several
Hindu temples
still standing
1979 The
few remaining residents form the Cato Manor Residents'
Association,
to resist
further removals
and racially
based housing developments. People
begin making attempts to regain their properties
 Mid 1980's Cato Manor is once again
a centre of political upheaval
and the
struggle for freedom in
South Africa, a feature
of the
final years of apartheid.
Some public institutions are destroyed
in protest,
people flee and many die
leaving
an area and community
in dire
need of rehabilitation.
1990's Waves of informal settlers
start setting up homes
in Cato Manor
as the lure
of employment attracts
them
to the city
1992 The people of Durban
unite to create the
Cato Manor
Development Forum,
which a year
later
gives rise to
the Cato Manor
Development Association
(CMDA) to redevelop the area
1994 Thousands of newly enfranchised
voters line the streets of
Cato Manor as
South Africa's
first
democratic elections
take place
 1995 The Cato Manor urban renewal
project is designated a
Presidential Lead
Project of the
Reconstruction and Development
Programme
(RDP) and receives
R130 million in funding
Late 1990's Cato Manor is transformed
by large-scale development
2001 Siyaya FM, Cato Manor's
radio station, takes
to the air
2002 The world-class iNkosi
Albert Luthuli Central
Hospital
is opened
2002 The
Cato Manor Visitor Centre at Intuthuko
Junction opens
featuring a museum,
internet
cafe, curio
shop, conference
centre
and a tourist
info booking office
 2003 Nelson Mandela
inaugurates the
first Umkhumbane
Urban Reality
Tourism
Trail
2004 Private sector
investment
reaches the target
of R200 million
2005 The first Annual
five day
Cato Manor Peace
Festival
takes place,
opened by
Nobel Peace Laureate
Kofi Annan
2007 The inaugural
Umkhumbane Global
Jazz Week is staged
with top
visiting international
stars
2012 The
Mayor of
Cato Manor
opens the
Umkhumbane Theatre
2052 The
Umkhumbane Centenary
is broadcast
to a
global audience
of billions
to celebrate
World Peace
Day
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