The diverse history of KwaDukuza, formerly known as Stanger, was relived amid much excitement from the hundreds of spectators who witnessed the colourful opening of the local museum on Tuesday.
The event highlighted the fact that KwaDukuza was not to be remembered only as the last palace of the revered and feared founder of the Zulu nation, King Shaka. It developed into a highly industrialised, job-providing town through the efforts of the early whites and Indians.
A number of foreign and domestic tourists are expected to visit the museum, where they will learn that after the king had been assassinated by his brothers in 1828, a Dutch immigrant, Theodorus Colenbrander, settled on a large estate on the North Coast.
His farm extended from the outskirts of the royal residence, KwaDukuza, to the Nonoti River near Mandeni further to the north. It was from this era onwards that more and more white families arrived in the area, and then decided they needed a town.
The local farmers then sent a petition to the government, asking for permission to create a town. Permission was granted and the town was established in February 1873 and named Stanger, after Dr William Stanger, the first Surveyor-General of Natal.
This aspect of the area's history was dramatically told on Tuesday by performers dressed in early English and Dutch clothes.
A similar performance was used to tell the tale of the arrival of the Indian community. Many of them were forcibly brought into the country as slaves under the indentured Indian immigration scheme. The first ship docked in Durban on November 16 1860, followed by a second one 10 days later.
However, in subsequent years, many Indian people arrived of their own accord as farmers, traders and shopkeepers.
The first Indian trader in Stanger was a Mr Rampul, who came in 1882, before the others - including Mr Seedat and Mr Patel - arrived in 1890, followed by the Moolas in 1903 and the Padayachees in 1914.
When development grew in the area, some Zulu elders noted: "King Shaka is truly turning in his grave."
On Tuesday, the mayor of the KwaDukuza municipality, S'duduzo Gumede, said the museum would remind future generations about the importance of the region.
"We want our young people to develop pride in their heritage," he said. "Through this museum, we will be able to celebrate our rich, diverse history, and sell it to the entire world."