Years in the making, the Umkhumbane Heritage Cultural and Heritage Museum is finally nearing completion. Umkhumbane (or Cato Manor as it’s also known) is an area with a dark history of forced removals, poverty and crime. Designed and executed by Choromanski Architects, it’s hoped that the complex, which in line with the Municipality’s green strategy is environmentally efficient, will not only acknowledge and highlight the important history of the area, but also help to alleviate poverty by creating jobs and bringing cultural tourists to the area.
In addition to the cultural centre and museum, public park and amphitheatre, there will also be accommodation for visiting lecturers, as well as an office for the monarch. The complex is also the site of a memorial to King Goodwill Zwelithini’s mother, Queen Thomozile, whose remains were exhumed and reburied in Cato Manor in 2011.