Celebrating Heritage: Durban’s Most Significant Statues

While Durban is best known for its balmy climate and fabulous beach holiday destinations, this busy port city in the Kwa-Zulu Natal province has one of the most colourful histories in South Africa. Discovered by Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama, annexed as a British colony, and once also the former territory of Shaka Zulu, Durban’s rich heritage has resulted in the exciting melting pot of different cultures that we know today.

The Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom is an ideal, central location from which to experience and explore Durban's fascinating past. So take a trip down memory lane when you visit some of Durban’s most important statues and learn all about the stories behind them.

1. King Dinuzulu

King Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo, an important figure in the South African struggle against colonialism and imperialism, was the last king of the Zulus to be officially recognised as such by the British. He reigned during a volatile period in history: when the last armed resistance was launched by indigenous people against the imperialist forces. In 1890 Dinuzulu was exiled for seven years to the island of St Helena for leading a Zulu army against the British from 1883 to 1884.

The statue of King Dinuzulu stands opposite an existing statue of General Louis Botha, his comrade-in-arms, on the corner of Berea Road and Warwick Avenue in Durban.

2. John Dube

John Dube is a greatly revered figure in South African history. He was a leading member of the educated African elite in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; an educator, clergyman, writer, newspaper editor, civil rights leader, and the first President-General of the South African Native National Congress (as it was then known), which later became the African National Congress (ANC). He also founded the Ohlange Institute, where Nelson Mandela cast his vote in the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.

There are two statues of John Dube in Durban.

The first, unveiled in 2010, can be found at the Ohlange Institute in Inanda together with a statue of Nelson Mandela. These statues form part of the revamped Inanda Heritage Route, which aims to draw visitors to this area from across the globe.

The second statue of John Dube stands in pride of place at Dube Square. This sculpture, which commemorates his life and work, was unveiled in 2012 by President Jacob Zuma at the official opening of the Dube TradePort.

3. Dick King

In 1842 Dick King rode from Port Natal (now Durban) to Grahamstown to request reinforcements for Captain Smith’s besieged garrison. This epic 960km journey over unforgiving terrain and across 120 rivers, took only 10 days to complete. His efforts were successful and troops arrived just in time to end the siege and save the British camp from imminent surrender or starvation.

An equestrian monument to Dick King and his horse Somerset was erected on the corner of Gardiner Street and Durban’s Victoria Embankment in 1915 and stands alongside such famous Durban memorials as the John Ross statue and the Da Gama Clock.

4. John Ross statue

At the tender age of 12, John Ross set out with an escort of 30 Zulu warriors on a 6 month 600km march to the Portuguese settlement of Delagoa Bay (now Maputo) to get medical supplies for his compatriots in distress at Port Natal.

John was only 10 years old when his ship, The Mary, was wrecked off the Zululand coast in 1825. The boy survived and settled at Port Natal. He became one of the first white people to meet and befriend the great Zulu king Shaka Senzagakhona, thanks in part to his distinctive red hair.

The statue of John Ross can be found in front of John Ross House on the Victoria Embankment, Durban.

5. Mahatma Gandhi Bust

Mahatma Gandhi, who is famous for his philosophy of Satyagraha (passive, non-violent resistance) landed in Durban in 1893.

The African National Congress (ANC), founded in 1912, was influenced by and used the philosophy of Satyagraha up until the 1960s, when they switched to a policy of armed struggle to overthrow Apartheid. Satyagraha was also embraced by Martin Luther King in the US. He considered Satyagraha as the only morally sound method open to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom.

At the Tourist Junction in Durban, which was once the Old Station, a bronze bust of Gandhi serves to commemorate the time he purchased a first class train ticket to Johannesburg in June 1893. On the way to Pietermaritzburg, a traveller on the train complained that there was a non-white person in the first class section and Gandhi was forcibly removed at the Pietermaritzburg station.

There’s an app for that!

You can download a self-guided walking tour and explore Durban’s colourful heritage at your own pace.

Visit must-see landmarks, and explore the hints and clues to our collective past, through the city’s architecture and monuments.

Download the app for Apple and Android.