Talk:Ilanda Wilds

Comment by Frank Horn
King Skaka's visit to and naming of Amanzimtoti refers. Comment on Wikipedia and elsewhere is primarily sourced from council officials and a few wildlife and environmental activists and very little, if any, formal research to substantiate the claims. To use an example forthcoming from isiZulu speakers at a tourism seminar held in Amanzimtoti in the late nineties is that the isiZulu word "mtoti" was used by in Khosi Shaka to call the water sweet. He (King Skaka) did not find the water sugary but was due to custom not allowed to call it pleasant or nice as in isiZulu it would be using the word "nandi". Using "nandi" would be phonetically pronouncing his mother name "Nandi" which was not permitted traditionally. It is also unlikely that King Shaka a well seasoned militarist would rest and have water at the spot chosen in modern days to commemorate the event. It is most unlikely that he would wedged him and impis in a vulnerable position between the Isundu Drive Hill and the river. The current story has tourism value but very little historic substance or tactical logic. If we have to guess where the water was consumed for tourism purposes let's put some reasoning into it and not embarrass future tourism guides. The good soldier would have more likely followed the a route on the slopes of the hills with scouts on the hill crests which in all likeliness would have brought the King and his men closer to where the current civic centre is today. This is an level plain area less prone to ambushes or any other surprises a potential enemy may have had. This civic centre area in fact, had huts and clans living there many decades ago as conveyed to me by a past community leader Mr David Moeti who pointed to the area where his great grandfather had his hut. I was also privy to a monochrome snap shot of the remains of one of the huts produced by the third generation Late Mr Francios Malan formally of Mooihawens retirement centre, the great grandson of a reverend Francios Malan who had a cottage next to the estuary a few meters from the beach. - Frank Horn. (copy pasted from new unpatrolled article). Mark  Dask  06:20, 1 August 2011 (UTC)