Umbumbulu – The Ulwazi Programme

Archival Aspirations and Anxieties: Contemporary Preservation and Production of the Past in Umbumbulu, KwaZulu-Natal

Academic and consultant Grant McNulty has recently published the first paper from his PhD findings in the South Africa Historical Journal. It focuses on custodianship of the past in a variety of forms in Umbumbulu, near Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. The paper examines the Ulwazi Programme, as well as various other locations in Umbumbulu where the … Read more

Who was Sibusisiwe Violet Makhanya?

Sibusisiwe Violet Makhanya was a pioneer social worker, who received acclaim both locally and abroad for her innovative social welfare programmes among the community of Umbumbulu. She was born at Umbumbulu, a village to the south of Durban, on the 4 October 1894, the eldest of seven children. Her father was Nxele Jeremiah, a cousin … Read more

Prize-giving at Sibusisiwe High School

Last Friday the Ulwazi Team went out to Umbumbulu to attend a prize-giving ceremony for participants in the Goethe Institut Ulwazi Schools’ Project. Director of the Local History Museum, Bheki Mchunu, awarded prizes to the two top students as well as giving certificates to all participating students. In thanks for their support, gifts were also … Read more

Ulwazi Schools Project in Umbumbulu

Today we went out to Sibusisiwe High School to launch the second phase of the Ulwazi Schools Project, run in collaboration with the Goethe Institut. The kids were excited and eager to learn, the computers were connected to the Internet and Mabusi, our mentor, was ready to share her knowledge. I’m sure this school will … Read more

Book on food insecurity in Umbumbulu

A UKZN academic and an honorary professor have co-edited and published a book that focuses on and addresses food insecurity in the Umbumbulu community, south of Durban.

The book, titled: Does Food Security Improve When Small Holders Access a Niche Market? Lessons from the Embo Community in South Africa, is edited by the Academic Programme Co-ordinator from the African Centre for Food Security, Professor Sheryl Hendriks, and Professor Michael C Lyne.

The book presents the results of a food security research project funded by the Ford Foundation.

Starting a Small Business

Many people in Umbumbulu are not working at the moment. Some have decided to open their own small businesses so that they can earn money for food, clothing and other essentials.

The easiest business to open is a street-vendor one as all you need to have is a table on the side of the street. Here you can sell fruit, sweets, fatkoek or fried-chips to the people who are passing by This can be a steady income as people are buying stuff like this everyday but you must make sure that you sell a product that is in demand in that specific area and also something that not too many other people are selling.