Zulu Kingdom Area
The beautiful little town of Mtunzini is situated on the coast of Northern KwaZulu-Natal, and is quite close to metropolis towns such as Durban and Richards Bay. During the 19th century, the area was under Zulu ownership.
The founder of Mtunzini, John Dunn, has an interesting history. He became a diplomatic advisor to King Cetshwayo of the Zulu kingdom after the Zulu Civil War of 1856. Throughout this new life as diplomat, he took 49 Zulu wives. He also received 10 oxen and an extensive stretch of land, which was part of the magisterial district of Mtunzini. He divided the land between his favourite headmen, and his several marriages ensured a strong economic and political stance for him and his family. After the Anglo Boer war of 1879, the British appointed Dunn as one of 13 chiefs to rule the Zulu Kingdom. After his death in 1895, Mtunzini became government property.
In 1948, 9 square kilometers of dune forests, lakes and lagoons at Mtunzini was proclaimed a nature reserve known as the Umlalazi Nature Reserve, which falls under the protection of the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.
In 2002 Mtunzini became a landing point for the South Africa Far East cable (SAFE) Optical fiber Submarine communications cable, linking Melkbosstrand on the West Coast with Saint Paul (Réunion Island), Baie Jacotet (Mauritius), Cochin (India) and Penang (Malaysia).