Cato Manor, Durban

Cato Manor is a working class area located seven kilometers from Durban's city centre.

It was formed when Indian market gardeners came to settle in the area some time after it was given to George Christopher Cato in 1865, who was the first mayor of Durban in 1854. The area attracted attention during the days of apartheid.

History

Cato Manor became recognised when the Black Africans came to settle in during the 1920s, and rented land from Indian landlords who were there since the early 1900s. To earn a living, people started brewing beer and selling it in the streets of Durban to the thirsty workers. The authorities were glad to have people in town for labour but were scared to be overwhelmed by their population. They then started the so called Durban system which required permits from people who were in town to restrict the influx of population. The authorities then instituted the Native Beer Act of 1908, which allowed the municipality to brew and sell beer for self-finance. That became a success and the municipality reaped huge profits which meant that anyone brewing illegally was arrested. That started a dispute between the authorities and the people which led to people rioting due to their loss of making a living. Towards the end of World War II about 30,000 squatters had built their shacks in the place, which started an even bigger riots between 1949 and 1950 when the Group Areas Act was passed on by the government. People were now forced to move from the place to townships like KwaMashu and the Indians moved to places like Chatsworth and Phoenix. On The 23 January 1960 an angry mob attacked 4 white and 5 black Policemen at the Cato Manor Police station,they butchered the men and mutilated the bodies. The mutilated boies, with genitals stuffed in their mouths were then dragged through the streets by the mob. The tumult eventually died after 1964 when the place was deserted.

Cato Manor Today

The area began to come to life again in the early 1980s when the Cato Manor Development Association (CMDA) was formed and delivered much needed infrastructure. The area then was funded by the European Union and the Cato Manor Area Based Management was instituted by the eThekwini Municipality to overseeing the development of the area. Cato Manor today has a primary schools, a clinic, a market and a multi-purpose center and talks for new places of interest are underway.

References

* [http://www.durban.gov Metro beat, April 2006 Issue 87]