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Durban tours | Tour2.0 | Inanda

Inanda, Durban

Rites and rituals of Inanda

with Bajabulile Bhengu
Hop-on, Hop-off
  • Rating

  • 4½ hours

  • Mon to Fri & Sun

  • 10+

  • 1 to 20 people

  • Incl. Food & refreshments

  • Reviews

4 and a half hour Hop-on, Hop-off tour

Tour highlights:

1. Shembe Ekuphakameni community.
2. Isangoma Experience.
3. UMzinyathi Falls / Caves.
4. Ezweni Lodge.

Includes:

Refreshments and food.

Excludes:

Transport to and from tour.

Show Detailed Itinerary

Multiculturalism and diversity are the bedrock of the new South Africa. Along with these cornerstones come the right to spiritual and religious affiliation and much like you’d expect of a country known as the Rainbow Nation, there is a plethora of religious belief systems practiced throughout the country. Many of these are not as well-known as Christianity, Judaism and Islam. For this reason Ma Bhengu’s Inanda Tours aim to showcase the religious variety and cultural dogmas outside of the more prominent belief systems. The tours are also intended to highlight the important place spirituality holds in the lives of people in the community.

The first site we visit is the Shembe Ekuphakameni compound. Cebo, our guide and a member of the Shembe church himself, takes us on a tour of the building. Before we can enter we are given an overview of the church’s history and origins. The Shembe Church, also known as the Nazareth Baptist Church, was founded in 1910. It is believed that the prophet Isaiah Shembe was struck by lightning on a mountaintop, after which he considered it his divine mission to preach the word of God to the Zulu nation. In order to achieve this he felt it necessary to found a church that combines both Christianity, and Zulu cultural beliefs.

Cebo also informs us that the Shembe community is an incredibly private group that rarely opens itself up to the public because rites and rituals are considered highly scared. Our visit therefore has to show the utmost sensitivity and respect for the space, the customs and those that worship here. In addition to this, Cebo reveals the significance of the compound and its sacred status to the Shembe community. As a sign of respect and in line with custom we all remove our shoes before entering the compound. What is immediately apparent as we walk through the space is the importance of the religious attire and how striking it is. The clothing consists of a white robe, and leopard skin trimmings. Hair, as with many other religions, is considered highly sacred and because of this, most of the disciples of the Shembe church exhibit a healthy head of hair.

Having learned about Shembe, it’s time to learn about the part of the Inanda community who believe exclusively in traditional African religious practice. To this end we visit Isangoma (traditional African healer) to hear about the role that traditional African healers play within the community and to be educated about traditional African ancestral devotion. The healer reveals that a considerable part of the community still seeks the council of traditional healers, but that this now happens in conjunction with western medicine.

It’s evident that Shembe and African religions dominate in the area, but there are also smaller religions represented in the community. One of these is Rastafarianism. At the Umzinyathi Falls we learn about the Rastafari’s within the Inanda community. This is where we meet Nhlanhla, our guide around the Rastafarian community and a devoted Rasta himself. After he gives us a brief history of the origins of Rastafarianism in Inanda as we head down a path next to the waterfall. In here is a hidden oasis, where we discover a prayer spot for local Rastafarians. Here Nhlanhla takes us through the prayer rituals and what praise entails.

From here we head back to Ezweni Lodge where we have lunch and reflect on the cultural and religious diversity this small area is blessed with.

  • From R1199 ZAR
    Per Person
  • From R2849 ZAR
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    Grand Total:
    R1199 ZAR

4 and a half hour Hop-on, Hop-off tour

Tour highlights:

1. Shembe Ekuphakameni community.
2. Isangoma Experience.
3. UMzinyathi Falls / Caves.
4. Ezweni Lodge.

Includes:

Refreshments and food.

Excludes:

Transport to and from tour.

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