Kwa Muhle Museum: The
Transition of Space
THIS IS A MUSEUM ABOUT POWER
AND
POWERLESSNESS AND THE
STRUGGLE FOR DIGNITY BY
ORDINARY PEOPLE.
LET THIS NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.
LET US BE MINDFUL OF THE
ABUSES OF
THE PAST AND CELEBRATE THE
HUMAN CAPACITY,
IN ALL ITS DIVERSITY AND
RICHNESS,
TO OVERCOME.
Built in 1928 for the specific purpose of administering and controlling
the affairs of the African urban population in Durban, the local landmark which
is now Kwa Muhle Museum is undeniably central to the history and
development of the city of Durban as we know it today. It is evident that the
building’s past still pervades popular memory, as numerous visitors and
passers-by come in from time to time to share stories of their experiences of the
notorious Kwa Muhle when it functioned as the headquarters of the Native
Administration Department. The name Kwa Muhle (Place of the Good One) as the
building become known to the local African population, has interesting origins,
taking its name from the nickname given to the first Manager of the Native
Administration Department, J.S. Marwick. He is reputed to have earned the title
uMuhle, meaning ‘The Good One’, after having rescued and repatriated
7 000 Zulu men who would otherwise have been left stranded in the
Transvaal at the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War. Marwick’s well-known
designation continued to be used even after his departure and spread well
beyond the borders of the province. The name, however, stands in stark
contradiction to the atrocious and inhuman treatment meted out to the hundreds
of African men who mostly came to the Native Administration Department in the
hope of acquiring a document - the pass book, which would afford them the
simple right to seek employment in the city.
This process of urban racial segregation which historians and social
scientists contend provided the blueprint for the nationally enforced influx
control laws introduced by the Nationalist Party government, was known as ‘The
Durban System.’ The strategy evolved out
of the reserve policies implemented by Natal’s Secretary for Native Affairs,
Sir Theophilus Shepstone, whose purpose was to accommodate the labour
requirements of Natal’s white colonial population. With the development of the
city and expanding industrialisation, Durban’s economy began
to become increasingly dependent on African labour, and with the rapid
urbanisation of African people came an acceleration in the implementation of
policies of racial separatism. Kwa Muhle was central to the implementation of
racially-based administration of passes, labour, housing, health, beerhalls,
etc.
The management of African people in Durban was characterised by
processes which reduced people to units of labour with little regard for their
humanity and well-being. Even the medical facilities made available by the
authorities was mainly to ensure a healthy and viable labour force. Similarly,
the provision of recreational facilities such as the municipal beerhalls was a
calculating and highly successful strategy designed to secure a monopoly over
the production and distribution of beer to African men in the city. The profits
realized from the sale of beer to African men was used to finance the
administration of the Durban System; a most insidious form of human
exploitation. In 1959, African women protested outside beerhalls all over the
city, and much of the tumult that ensued from the Cato Manor Beerhall Riots
unfolded at Kwa Muhle.
Clearly, Kwa Muhle was pivotal to much of our turbulent history. It was
also at the locus of African cultural, political and social life in the city.
Surrounded by a sorghum brewery and beerhall, shebeens and the Bantu Social
Centre (a popular venue for African National Congress meetings), Kwa Muhle was
at the centre of African life and activity in Durban at the time, signifying
that in spite of their experience of racially oppressive practices, urban
Africans maintained a spirited and dynamic and often defiant existence.
Today, Kwa Muhle Museum stands as testament to that troubled yet vibrant
era, acknowledging past injustices and abuses, but also affirming the enormous
contribution of the majority population to the development of the city of
Durban. One of 4 sites that constitute Durban’s Local History Museums, (the
others are: Old Court House Museum, Old House Museum and The Port Natal
Maritime Museum), Kwa Muhle Museum situated at 130 Ordnance Road, is
immediately recognisable for its distinctive architectural design. Designed in
1927 by Town Architect, William Murray-Jones, and built in 1928, the aesthetic
of the building is in itself of interest to the heritage sector. It is a Museum
about ‘power and powerlessness’ and this theme is explored through the prism of
racial exclusion and exploitation. The exhibitions on view are of immense value
to young learners, students, historians, social scientists, tourists and the
general public as they provide audiences with a unique interactive and
informative experience of a neglected aspect of twentieth-century Durban
history. ‘The Durban System’, which is on permanent display, accurately
and imaginatively documents aspects of African city-life at the time and is
very popular with both local and overseas audiences. There is also a range of
engaging temporary exhibitions, dealing with a variety of issues and subjects.
The role of the public in the continued success of the Museum is
crucial. This is a Museum in progress, which depends on the sustained input of
the local population in the form of ideas as well as material contributions. It
is critical that people are made aware of the importance of making available
artefact in the form of objects, documents, photographs, etc. that will not
only enrich and inform our understanding of the past, but also allow the Museum
various public services, eg., in education and research to expand and operate
more effectively. There are many ‘gaps’ and obscurities in our history and
active public participation in the process of interpreting our past is
encouraged. Museum staff will gladly assist people who have queries in this
regard.
The Museum is open Monday to Saturday from 8h30 to 16h00 and Sundays and
Public Holidays from 11h30 to 16h00.
Entrance to the Museum is free, though donations are welcome. Advance
bookings for large groups is recommended, especially if a guided tour is
required. For queries, please phone 311
2223 or e-mail