Deep history & culture: Walk the same ground where history played out; visit museums, forts, trails.

Stunning nature & hiking: Dundee is surrounded by hills like the Biggarsberg, Mpati and Indumeni mountains, and offers a good base for hiking, nature trails, bird-watching and fresh air.

dundeekzn.co.za

Authentic feel: Fewer crowds than major tourist hotspots; a quieter, more relaxed experience with friendly locals and scenic rural landscapes.

Great accommodation choices: From charming B&Bs to guest houses, making it comfortable whether you’re travelling solo, as a couple or with family.

Convenient base for the surrounding battlefield sites: Use Dundee as your home base and explore the major historical sites around the area.

Please Do come visit our lovely Town and short left yourself through history.

The war memorial hall was built to honour the service and sacrifice of the men and women of Dundee and the area who served in the Second World War. The funds for the building were raised by the citizens of Dundee in memory of the men of the district who fell in military engagements , members of the MOTH and BCESL (British Commonwealth Ex-Service League) members.

The MOTH organisation had been founded by Charles Evenden in 1928 to “help fellow servicemen in need and to remember all ex-servicemen and women who had died in war and peace time”. The Endumeni shellhole was founded in the late 1920’s. The BCESL was founded in 1921 by Field Marshall Haig, Jan Smuts and Gen Lukin to ”relieve the plight of soldiers who had returned form the horrors of the battlefields of France and Flanders in the Frist World War.

The organisation provided care, employment, housing for former soldiers. In the 1950’s Dundee had both a men’s and a Women’s Auxiliary branch. Towards the end of the Second World War a group of Dundee citizens got together to consider an appropriate memorial to the local men and women who had served and died in the war. It was decided not to erect another memorial – like the one for the First World War – but to build a living memorial that would be useful to the community.

The first step of the project was to build the shellhole so that there would be a home and venue for MOTH meetings. When work on the hall started there was not sufficient money and so the MOTH’s decided to offer their skills and labour free to help build the hall. Building was slow as it was done over weekends but eventually sufficient funds were raised to allow a bank bond to be raised and Johnstone & Keith to complete the construction. The hall was opened on 13 October 1956 by Gen Klopper, head of the South African Defence Force. The Natal Carbineers with their pipe band paraded through the town. For many years fund raising events were held to pay the bond on the building.

Inside the foyer is a memorial tablet to the men of Dundee and district who died in the war. This is not a comprehensive list for the whole town as other memorial tablets are found in the Anglican and Presbyterian churches and in Dundee High school.

There is also a memorial tablet to Alexander Harvey Biggar, after whom the range of mountains around Dundee is named (Biggarsberg). He died in the battle of Opathe Kloof in 1839 while assisting Boer forces in their battles against Zulu forces.

The Indumeni/Isandlwana Shellhole has a superb collection of military memorabilia dating from the Anglo Zulu war of 1879 to the present. It is open on Fridays evenings from 17:00 and welcomes visitors.
Contact Pat Rundgren 072 803 2885 to make arrangements to view the museum.

This memorial commemorates the men of Dundee and the surrounding areas who gave their lives in the cause of freedom during the 1st World War. Their sacrifice is remembered by an annual MOTH Parade at the memorial on the closest Sunday to 11th November.

Of particular interest is the name of Lt. Green who survived Delville Wood, won two Military Crosses and was killed late in 1917.

Another person of interest is Brother Richardson, a local member of the Masonic Lodge, who drowned on the SS Mendi.

The MOTH order (Memorable Order of Tin Hats) was established in 1929 to remember the men and women who died in the Great War 1914–1918. Memorial tablets from the MOTH memorial from Glencoe have been relocated to this memorial, and a number of memorials to remember the men and women from this area, in all theatres of war, have been installed here.

Welcome to the Endumeni Municipal area , which derives its name from the spectacular peak of Indumeni Mountain that watches over the picturesque and historically significant town of Dundee, Glencoe and Wasbank. Equidistant from both Johannesburg and Durban, the region is the geographic and administrative hub of northern KwaZulu – Natal and is notable for its battlefields and military history. Dundee is also relatively close to the Drakensberg Mountains. Besides tourism, the area is known for its agriculture, mainly beef and dairy farming, game ranching. The coal mining industry has underpinned the local economy for over a century and continues to do so.

Apart from Tours specialising in military history and Zulu culture, visitors can enjoy adventure sports (hiking and cycle trails), agriculture tours, game viewing, hunting and some of the best birding and fishing in the province.

Accommodation establishments range from exclusive lodges to backpackers, hotels and everything in between. Skilled local craftsmen and woman produce exquisite curios, baskets, beadwork and carpets.

So, for you to enjoy Dundee in its element, Please do visit our Town and TELL THE REST .

The one NOT TO MISS is “Talana Live” held over the nearest weekend to the anniversary of the battle. Re-enactments of the battle take place this weekend together with a full program of history and heritage.

“Talana “ meaning “the shelf where precious items are stored” is a fitting name for this large and multifaceted museum, on the site of the first battle of the Anglo Boer War 1899-1902. A walking trail up Talana hill follows in the footsteps of the British soldiers who fought the battle up this hill on 20 October 1899. Boer forces on the top of the hill taught them a lesson they were to remember for the remainder of the war and into the Great War 14 years later.

Here we remember and respect our past, and the people who made it. Lonely monuments, a quiet cemetery and a magnificent museum in park-like grounds display our heritage for your education and enjoyment. Exhibits depict the conflict between Zulu, Boer and Brit; coal mining, glass and beadwork; original settler history and a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.

The Great War 1914-1919 and the 1913 Satyagraha Movement place Dundee in the context of these events.

We offer research archives; conference venues; registered guides for tours of the museum and battlefields, quality locally produced items in the Museum Shop and delicious meals in the Miners’ Rest restaurant.

•  On the R33 to Vryheid as you leave Dundee
•  S28 09 21.6  E30 15 35.5
•  034 492 0279
•  info@talana.co.za
•  www.facebook.com/talanamuseum
•  www.talana.co.za
• You will need at least 3-4 hours to view this museum
  • Open: Mon-Fri 08:00-16:30 | Sat, Sun & Public Holidays: 09:00-16:30 | Closed: 25,26 December
  • For Accommodation See Kwakunje Village Bed & Breakfast