Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal

Dundee
Dundee Location of Dundee in KwaZulu-Natal
Coordinates: 28°10′21″S 30°13′53″E / 28.1725°S 30.23139°E / -28.1725; 30.23139Coordinates: 28°10′21″S 30°13′53″E / 28.1725°S 30.23139°E / -28.1725; 30.23139
Country	South Africa
Province	KwaZulu-Natal
District municipality	Umzinyathi
Local municipality	Endumeni
Time zone	SAST (UTC+2)

The coal mining town of Dundee is situated in a valley of the Biggarsberg mountains in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (28°10′S 30°14′E / 28.167°S 30.233°E / -28.167; 30.233). It is part of the Endumeni Local Municipality, Umzinyathi District. It is rich in coal deposits. More populous than the town of Dundee itself is its adjacent township named Sibongile.

Dundee was formed in 1882 after a discovery of the availability of coal closest to the surface by the Boers (Famers). It is named after the hometown of a pioneering Scottish settler, Peter Smith. At first, Dundee was a farm (Talana farm), a personal property to Peter Smith, which he had brought from a Voortrekker settler, Mr Dekker. Three other men are credited with the founding of Dundee; his son William Craighead Smith, son in- law Dugald McPhail, and close family friend Charles Willson.

The town lies nestled in a valley in the picturesque Biggarsberg- the heart of Northern KwaZulu- Natal, and is surrounded by historical remarkable mountains of “Indumeni” (where the thunder rolls), “Mpati” (The place of good waters), and “Talana” (The shelf where precious items are kept). Dundee has trails and evidence (lifestyle and rock paintings in caves and shelters) that the San people once lived in this area about 4 000 – 5 000 year ago.

In 1889, Peter Smith founded Dundee Coal Company and established his company at the London Stock Exchange. Soon after, Dundee soon emerged as a boomtown graced with stately homes. Pioneer traders from the Indian sub- continent settled here during the following decade, when Dundee became the meeting place of seven roads into the hinterland and coast of Africa.

The township of Dundee (Sibongile) was established by Peter Smith, with a land contributed by his son in-law. This township has now extended to a large number of residing zones e.g. Lindelani.

The mountain of Impati is situated north of Dundee.

Geography

Climate

Dundee has a subtropical highland climate (Cwb, according to the Köppen climate classification), with pleasant summers and cool, dry winters. The average annual precipitation is 684 mm (27 in), with most rainfall occurring mainly during summer.

Dundee
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     134   26 14     104   26 14     85   25 12     31   23 9     8   21 6     1   19 3     1   19 3     8   21 5     25   23 8     65   24 10     101   24 12     121   26 13 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source: SA Explorer
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     5.3   79 57     4.1   79 57     3.3   77 54     1.2   73 48     0.3   70 43     0   66 37     0   66 37     0.3   70 41     1   73 46     2.6   75 50     4   75 54     4.8   79 55 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

History

• The Boers reported surface coal here and named one of the streams Steenkoolspruit (Afrikaans for Coal Stream).
• Peter Smith, a Scottish settler started sending wagonloads of coal which was discovered close to the surface to be sold in Pietermaritzburg. This actually started the coal industry in Natal.
• The first geological survey of the Natal coalfields was made in 1880 and proved that there were workable coal deposits.
• In 1882 a town was laid out and named after Smith’s Scottish hometown Dundee.
• Smith with partners Dougald McPhail and Charles Wilson floated the Dundee Coal and Estate Company on the London Stock Exchange in 1899.
• The British start massing troops at Dundee and was given an ultimatum by the Boers to remove the troops. On 20 October 1899, the first shots of the Boer War were fired. The news of this battle hit the headlines in Britain, the "Battle of Glencoe", which was corrected the following day to the "Battle of Dundee" and on the third day to the "Battle of Talana." It was on the slopes of Talana Hill that the British army troops wore khaki uniforms for the first time in battle; it is also notable as the first indisputable use of indirect fire in modern warfare, and the tactic as applied by Boer field artillery had a devastating effect. After the battle, the British troops retired to Ladysmith and Boer forces occupied the town, renaming it Meyersdorp. This occupation lasted seven months. Dundee was relieved after the battle of Helpmekaar in May 1900.

Boers watch the fighting at Dundee in 1899

• The town's folk who had left before or shortly after the battle returned and the town began to flourish again. Dundee soon emerged as a boomtown graced with stately homes and the first theatre north of Port Natal (Durban).
• Pioneer traders from the Indian sub-continent settled here during the following decade, when Dundee became the meeting place of seven roads into the hinterland and coast of Africa.

Trivia

• The battles of Isandlwana, Blood River and Rorke's Drift are near the town.
• The site where the last heir to the Bonaparte dynasty died is also nearby.
• The last pre-Boer War theatre extant in KwaZulu-Natal, the Boswells can be found here.