KwaGingindlovu, formerly known as Gingindlovu, is a town situated at the intersection of the R66 Provincial Route and the R102 Regional Route in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa, approximately 21 km south-east of Eshowe.
The name was first applied to one of Cetshwayo‘s military kraals nearby. Of Zulu origin, the name is said to mean “place of the big elephant” or, more possibly, “swallower of the elephant”, referring to Cetshwayo’s victory over his brother Mbulazi for the Zulu throne in 1856.
KwaGingindlovu falls within the uMlalazi Local Municipality, which is part of the King Cetshwayo District Municipality.
KwaGingindlovu is also located on the Battlefields Route in northern Zululand. It is the site of the Battle of Gingindlovu in 1879, a battle between the British forces and Cetshwayo’s army, who besieged the town of Eshowe. The victory by the British troops placed the town firmly on the colonial map, but the British troops had difficulty with the name and so dubbed it – Gin-Gin, I love you.
Gingindlovu (officially renamed KwaGingindlovu) lies near the Amatikulu Game Reserve, one of the few places in South Africa where one can view wildlife feeding on forested dunes overlooking the sea. Stretching between the Tugela and the Amatikulu River mouths and only 10 minutes drive from KwaGingindlovu, this reserve’s coastal forest grasslands and rivers attract an array of birdlife and are home to giraffe, zebra, waterbuck, and smaller antelope.
The reserve is a popular fishing destination, and canoeing on the Amatikulu Estuary is a wonderful way to escape from it all.
The two beautiful, indigenous forests of Entumeni and Dlinza are within easy reach of KwaGingindlovu, and both are renowned for their bird and plant life. Bird watchers from all over the world hope to catch glimpses of the rarer species that occur in the forests, and both have hiking trails, which during the heat of summer offer cool respite.
The Entumeni forest’s trails are not for the faint-hearted, and both are on steep terrain. However, the waterfalls and sightings of blue duiker and bushbuck make it worthwhile. The Miller’s Tiger, a rare moth thought to have been extinct, has been rediscovered in the grasslands of the Entumeni Forest.
