The KwaMuhle museum in downtown Durban shows that Apartheid didn’t just magically come into being in 1948.
Apartheid and the Durban System
It takes a little while to register. Walking around Durban’s KwaMuhle museum initially starts off with headshaking and tutting at the injustices of apartheid. The segregationist policies, forcing black South Africans to have passes if they wanted to work in the city and be allocated lower quality housing in inconveniently peripheral areas of town, are the same story told in countless South African museums.
But then you see the dates. The Durban System – which forced black South Africans to carry passes with them all the time while they were in town, and to leave within three days if they didn’t have one – wasn’t part of the Apartheid regime. It was the forerunner to it.
Inside Durban’s KwaMuhle museum
KwaMuhle is a handsome old building that has now been turned into a rather disjointed museum with several highly thought-provoking sections. It’s my top recommendation for Durban, a city most South Africans visit for winter sun.
One section covers the story of the militarised resistance to apartheid, and a teenager who joined the ANC’s paramilitary wing (set up by Nelson Mandela). He ended up killing five in a shopping centre bombing, and was shunned by the ANC for harming civilians. But the quotes from one of the victims’ fathers given to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission show he later forgave the bomber, conceding his daughter’s loss was part of a wider war. It provides a brilliant snapshot into the shades of grey involved in the anti-apartheid struggle.
How the Durban System worked
But it’s the section on the Durban System that really jars. It shows that the wheels were set in motion for Apartheid, often by British colonial authorities in the then province of Natal, well before many of us would like to admit.
The Labour Books, which introduced pass officers and made employers keep a record of performance, were introduced in 1901 – nine years before South Africa even became a country. Several other laws were introduced over a number of years, reserving skilled work for whites, denying Africans the right to organise in labour unions and divvying up the residential areas on a racial basis.
All black people seeking work in Durban were forced to stand in a long queue at the Native Affairs Department to obtain permission to be in town. They would have come to KwaMuhle – it was the building where passes were handed out.
Making black South Africans pay
Perhaps the most audacious part of this ever-increasing discrimination was that the powers-that-be worked out a way to make the black population pay for all the bureaucracy. One of the many acts of law passed during this proto-Apartheid period was the 1908 Durban Corporation Native Beer Act. This made the Durban Corporation the only body that could legally brew beer for and sell to black South Africans. It had to be consumed in special beer halls, and the profits from these beer halls were put into the ‘social services and development of infrastructure for African people’.
The whole exhibition proves that there is always a lesson from history. The bad things always start significantly earlier than you think they do. And the horrors are ratcheted up incrementally. If there’s one reason to visit otherwise unappealing downtown Durban, this is it.
Things to do near KwaMuhle in Durban
The KwaMuhle Museum is located close to Durban’s city centre, within easy reach of several cultural, historic and waterfront attractions. These nearby sights are straightforward to combine with a museum visit.
Durban City Hall and Durban Art Gallery
A short walk away, Durban City Hall is one of the city’s most prominent colonial era buildings. Inside, the Durban Art Gallery displays a mix of South African and international works.
Victoria Street Market
Located nearby, this busy market is known for its spice stalls, fresh produce and traditional food outlets, reflecting Durban’s strong Indian influences.
KwaZulu Natal Society of Arts Gallery
A short drive from KwaMuhle, this gallery focuses on contemporary South African art and hosts regularly changing exhibitions by local and national artists.
Durban Botanic Gardens
A little further north, the Botanic Gardens offer landscaped grounds, mature trees and themed plant collections, providing a calmer contrast to the city centre.
Golden Mile and Durban beachfront
Easily reached from central Durban, the beachfront stretches along the Indian Ocean with promenades, beaches and views across the bay, and is often combined with visits to the city centre attractions.
More South Africa travel
For day trips from Durban and other experiences, check out the selection on Viator. This is an affiliate link, and I will earn commission from anything booked through it.
Other South Africa travel articles on Planet Whitley include:
