A visit to Kwazulu Natal would not be complete without taking the opportunity of visiting a Zulu village. The culture, the people, the traditions make for a fascinating adventure.

The Zulu Village was always circular and built on sloping ground. The main hut of the headman stood at the highest point, with those of his wives hierarchically positioned at both sides. An inner circle housed the wealth of the village - the kraal that kept the cattle and grain. It was a revered area where the spirits of the ancestors were thought to linger.

The Zulu homestead was also circular. The foundations were laid by the men of the village who would gather to enjoy brewed beer and bonhomie while they built. Their job was to fix saplings to the ground then bend and tie them together to form the basic beehive shape. Then it was left to the women to cover the frame with matting woven from thatching grass and bind it with a web of grass ropes.

The right hand side of the hut belonged to the man and the left hand side to the woman. The area at the back that was used to store cooking utensils and valuables was believed to belong to the spirits.

The survival of traditional homestead structures or ‘imizi’ has come under increasing pressure. Availability of land for these homesteads has become increasingly scarce. Bricks and mortar have replaced the traditional uhlongwa grass thatched beehive huts which require much maintenance. There is however a number of fine examples of these villages that have been established as living museums for tourists.

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