uMnambithi - Gheos Worldguide

uMnambithi (Ladysmith)

uMnambithi was originally was founded when Boer settlers bought land from the Zulu king Mpande there in 1847 and called their township Windsor in 1850. Several months later, the name was changed to Ladysmith, after Juana María de los Dolores de León Smith, who was known as Lady Smith. She was the wife of Sir Harry Smith, who was then Governor of the Cape Colony. In 2024 the city's name was changed to uMnambithi.

Points of interest

There are numerous memorial sites in uMnambithi that commemorate the victims of the Second Boer War.
The building that was used to store rations during the War, has been converted into the Siege Museum. The Siege refers to the time when the city was besieged by Boer forces during the Anglo-Boer War. The museum is next to the town hall and has exhibitions on the Anglo-Boer War. The building dates from 1884 and the museum was founded in 1995. Its exhibitions details the battles and history at the time of the Siege, as well as documents related to it.
The Town Hall is right next to the Siege museum. Two RML 6.3 inch Howitzers that were used by the British during the Siege stand in front of the Town Hall.
The Burgher Memorial is a sculpture on Wagon Hill that depicts six hands pointing upwards and one downwards. The memorial was erected in 1979 to commemorate the 781 Boer forces that were killed during the Second Boer War in battles fought in Natal. The memorial is just south of the city.
5 South African Infantry Battalion is based in uMnambithi and a military shooting range is located on the outskirts of the city.

Religious buildings

The Anglican All Saints Church was built in 1902.
A Muslim community has been in uMnambithi ever since the town's inception and on the banks of the Klip River, on the western side of town, the Soofi Mosque was built in 1969. It was named after revered saint Hazrath Soofie Sayed Mahomed Abed Mia Osmani, who is buried in the Ladysmith Muslim Cemetery.
The small Hindu Sanathan Dharma Sabha aka Lord Vishnu Temple features a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in its garden. Gandhi was in uMnambithi when it was still called Ladysmith during the 118 days it was besieged by Boer forces in the Anglo-Boer War. It dates from 1916 and it is located on the other side of the river from the Soofi Mosque, south of the city center.

Many long distance buses leave from the railway station, but there is also a bus station on Murchison Street. There are several hotels and restaurants in uMnambithi. A campsite is north of town.

uMnambithi is a quiet city, on the banks of the Tugela River in the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains. The city is 230 km (140 mi) northwest of Durban and 370 km (230 mi) southeast of Pretoria.

The band Ladysmith Black Mambazo was named after the city, as it's was the hometown of its founder Joseph Shabalala. The town of Ladysmith in British Columbia in Canada was renamed Ladysmith in honour of the lifting of the Siege.

Images