Mabedlana village: This beautiful village with a proud history is located in Ulundi, a town in the Northern part of Zululand.
Ulundi itself has its own well-known history as the former capital of the Zulu kingdom, which was burnt to ashes by the British troops in 1879, in retaliation for a devastating defeat by the Zulus at the battle of Isandlwana.
Mabedlana village derives its name from two mountains that look like a woman's breast, the name 'mabedlana' literally means small breasts. However, those are not the only mountains there as there is also one called Msizazwe, which means a place where the nation gets its help. During the times great droughts, the community would go up there to pray for rain.
The village has three schools, Mabedlana Primary, Mphothi Primary and Ndlovana High school. Mabedlana Primary is the oldest as it was established when the Norwegian missionaries set up a branch of their mission in the 1870's, with the permission of King Mpande.
The church is the oldest in the area and is known as Mabedlana Lutheran Church. Much later other church denominations came through but did not have significant branches. Many reverends serviced the Mabedlana Lutheran branch over the years. They would come from Mahlabathini Parish every month, to administer the holy communion as the well-known and loved local preacher, Johannes Zungu, was not ordained to do it.
The older generation has fond memories of influential teachers that came to teach at Mabedlana Primary and Ndlovana Secondary over the years. In the olden days, there was also a number of learners who came to live at Mabedlana village so they could be closer to schools, as their villages were either far from schools or did not have schools.
Two big developments stand in the village. One is the coal railway line, operated by Transnet that runs through the village, with trains traveling between Mpumalanga province and RichardsBay Coal Terminal day and night. The line was constructed in the late 1960's with an additional tunnel constructed in the 1980's.
Another key development was a water purification plant, on the banks of the White Umfolozi river, and two big concrete water tanks in between the Mabedlana mountains, that initially supplied water to Ulundi townships, with the supply to the village itself only happening many years. Before that, the village relied on the rivers, streams, manually operated boreholes and a windmill for drinking water.
Also part of the village's relatively old notable structures are the following: Mabedlana General Dealership, Mabedlana Tea Room, Ndlovane Shopping Centre, Mabedlana Clinic. In the olden days, the villagers had to travel long distances to buy certain items.
For a long time, the village relied on subsistence farming which was supplemented by most men working in the big cities and towns like Durban, Johannesburg and RichardsBay.
Things have changed now at Mabedlana village and other villages around Ulundi. Most households have running water in the yards as well as electricity supply. The standard of living has gone up as more of the younger generatiom attain tertiary education, secure better paying jobs and building better houses. There is now more cars in the village and mobility to towns and cities has become easier but the downside of that, is that people have moved away from subsistence farming. As such, what was very productive land has become idle with thorny bushes taking over the fields, and in other parts people building houses.