The Zulu: South Africa’s Largest Ethnic Group

The Zulu in South Africa are a fascinating people.

As  South Africa’s largest ethnic group they suffered heavily under apartheid and state sanctioned discrimination. They were considered to be third class citizens until the end of apartheid in 1994. So how does a group recover from such discrimination?  How do they adapt? I was about to find out.

First though I want to start off by saying that the Zulu language is the coolest language I’ve ever heard with its clicking noises. It sounds deceptively simple. But despite my best attempts I sounded more like a distressed chicken clucking.

My Zulu Heritage Trail tour with Urban Adventures began at the Kwa Muhle Museum in Durban:

The Kwa Muhle Museum should be a must for anyone visiting Durban.  Apartheid is a part of South Africa’s not so distant history and it’s signs like this that really brought home for me how different South Africa was a mere 18 years ago:

Next up was a visit to a Zulu Village.  As I stepped into the dark thatched hut made of clay and dung, I felt like I was stepping backwards several hundred years in time:

Inside the hut we learned more about Zulu life.  The fact that really stuck with me is that traditionally and presently, a man can have as many wives as he can afford, but each wife costs 11 cows.  I had learned from a previous visit to another Zulu village that this often results in couples remaining in different villages, unmarried, due to the high cost.  Each wife must also have her own hut which is another expense, but perhaps rather necessary to keep the peace.

There’s also an easy way to tell the difference between the men and women’s huts.  Any guesses?

The men’s huts are on the left, the women’s on the right.  This was in case of invasion since most men are right-handed and they could use their spear to protect their wives.

I also loved learning about the clothing.  For example, the woman pictured below is clearly married since she is wearing a beaded hat.  It’s the equivalent to a wedding ring.  Traditionally these were (painfully I would imagine) sewn into their heads

My eyes readjusted to the bright light as I exited the hut, excited to experience my first Zulu dance performance.  Have you heard the saying White men can’t dance? My guess is that someone said it after watching the Zulu people dance.  I watched in admiration as ancient stories were acted out through dance, each one containing a lesson, while entertaining with legs flying up high over their heads and spears being rhythmically twirled in time with the music:


Upon leaving the Zulu Village we were transported back to more recent times as we visited Ohlange High School.  Its significance lies it that it was the first educational institution in South Africa to be founded by a black person.  It had been founded by John Dube in 1901.   Its emphasis was and still is on developing self-reliance in its students.

 Adding further significance is that Ohlange is where Nelson Mandela cast his  vote in South Africa’s first all-race elections at a polling booth in the school in 1994.

Ohlange is a simple building. There’s not much to see, but my visit was powerful. So much history had been made here. So much hope in spite of all of the challenges. But it was reading Ohlange’s  objectives that really moved me.

So much so that I felt compelled to action and will shortly be making contact with the school’s organizers to propose a plan of how I may (in a very small way) help the students reach their objectives. Ohlange is the type of place that stays with you long after your visit. It’s the type of place that I left vowing to do something, to help make a difference in the lives of the Zulu people who have been through so much.