{{Infobox settlement | name = Ladysmith | official_name = uMnambithi | native_name = Emnambithi | image_skyline = View of Ladysmith KwaZulu-Natal South Africa.jpg | image_caption = Ladysmith central business district | pushpin_map = South Africa KwaZulu-Natal#South Africa#Africa | coordinates = {{coord|28|33|35|S|29|46|50|E|region:ZA|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type = [[Country]] | subdivision_name = [[South Africa]] | subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of South Africa|Province]] | subdivision_name1 = [[KwaZulu-Natal]] | subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of South Africa|District]] | subdivision_name2 = [[Uthukela District Municipality|Uthukela]] | subdivision_type3 = [[List of municipalities of South Africa|Municipality]] | subdivision_name3 = [[Alfred Duma Local Municipality|Alfred Duma]] | subdivision_type4 = Main Place | established_title = Established | established_date = 1850<ref name=established>{{cite thesis |last=Robson |first=Linda Gillian |title=The Royal Engineers and settlement planning in the Cape Colony 1806–1872: Approach, methodology and impact |date=2011 |type=PhD thesis |publisher=University of Pretoria |chapter=Annexure A |chapter-url=https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/26503/05back.pdf?sequence=6&isAllowed=y#page=31 |url=https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/26503 |hdl=2263/26503 |pages=xlv–lii}}</ref> | leader_title = Councillor | area_footnotes = <ref name="census2011">{{cite web |url=http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/514018 |title = Main Place Ladysmith |work=Census 2011}}</ref> | area_total_km2 = 84.13 | population_footnotes = <ref name="census2011" /> | population_total = 64855 | population_as_of = 2011 | population_density_km2 = auto <!-- demographics (section 1) -->| demographics_type1 = Racial makeup (2011) | demographics1_footnotes = <ref name="census2011" /> | demographics1_title1 = [[Bantu peoples of South Africa|Black African]] | demographics1_info1 = 73.3% | demographics1_title2 = [[Indian South African|Indian]]/[[Asian South African|Asian]] | demographics1_info2 = 15.0% | demographics1_title3 = [[White South African|White]] | demographics1_info3 = 8.3% | demographics1_title4 = [[Coloureds|Coloured]] | demographics1_info4 = 2.9% | demographics1_title5 = Other | demographics1_info5 = 0.5% <!-- demographics (section 2) -->| demographics_type2 = [[First language]]s (2011) | demographics2_footnotes = <ref name="census2011" /> | demographics2_title1 = [[Zulu language|Zulu]] | demographics2_info1 = 64.3% | demographics2_title2 = [[South African English|English]] | demographics2_info2 = 22.8% | demographics2_title3 = [[Afrikaans]] | demographics2_info3 = 6.3% | demographics2_title4 = [[Sotho language|Sotho]] | demographics2_info4 = 2.2% | demographics2_title5 = Other | demographics2_info5 = 4.5% <!-- blank fields (section 2) --> <!-- Other information -->| timezone1 = [[South African Standard Time|SAST]] | utc_offset1 = +2 | postal_code_type = [[List of postal codes in South Africa|Postal code]] (street) | postal_code = 3370 | postal2_code_type = [[Post-office box|PO box]] | postal2_code = 3370 | area_code_type = [[Telephone numbers in South Africa|Area code]] | area_code = 036 | website = [http://ladysmith.kzn.org.za ladysmith.kzn.org.za] }} '''Ladysmith''', officially known as '''uMnambithi''' since 2024,<ref name="insidepolitic.co.za-26Mar24">{{Cite web |last=Mosomane |first=Phuti |date=26 March 2024 |title=Ladysmith changes name to uMnambithi |url=https://insidepolitic.co.za/ladysmith-changes-name-to-umnambithi/ |access-date=15 December 2024 |website=Inside Politic |language=en}}</ref><ref name="www.timeslive.co.za-26Mar24">{{Cite news |title=uMnambithi, Nqweba are the renamed towns gazetted by Zizi Kodwa |first1=Ernest |last1=Mabuza |url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2024-03-26-umnambithi-nqweba-are-the-renamed-towns-gazetted-by-zizi-kodwa/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240827060110/https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2024-03-26-umnambithi-nqweba-are-the-renamed-towns-gazetted-by-zizi-kodwa/ |archive-date=27 August 2024 |access-date=15 December 2024 |work=TimesLIVE |language=en-ZA}}</ref><ref name="Jacaranda-26Mar24">{{Cite web |title=Ladysmith gets name change approval |date=26 March 2024 |first1=Celumusa |last1=Zulu |url=https://www.jacarandafm.com/news/news/ladysmith-gets-new-name/ |access-date=15 December 2024 |website=Jacaranda FM}}</ref> is a town that serves as the seat of both the [[Alfred Duma Local Municipality]] and the [[Uthukela District Municipality]] in [[KwaZulu-Natal]], South Africa. It lies {{convert|230|km|mi}} north-west of [[Durban]] and {{convert|365|km|mi}} south-east of [[Johannesburg]]. Important industries in the area include food processing, textiles, and tyre production.
The town was named after [[Juana María de los Dolores de León Smith]], also known as "Lady Smith," the Spanish wife of [[Harry Smith (army)|Sir Harry Smith]], the Governor of the [[Cape Colony]] from 1847–1852. It held strategic importance during the [[Second Boer War]] when, after [[Battle of Ladysmith|numerous small skirmishes]], it was [[Siege of Ladysmith|besieged by Boer forces]] on 2 November 1899. After three British attempts to relieve the defenders and one Boer attempt to take the town all failed, the siege was eventually broken on 28 February 1900. Both [[Winston Churchill]] and [[Mahatma Gandhi]] were present at the siege, the former as a [[war correspondent]] and the latter as a stretcher-bearer.
In 1900, the unincorporated town of Oyster Harbour on the east coast of [[Vancouver Island]], British Columbia, Canada, was renamed [[Ladysmith, British Columbia|Ladysmith]] by [[James Dunsmuir]] in honour of the lifting of the siege of Ladysmith. [[File:Lady Smith and her Children MET DP161770.jpg|thumb]]
In 2023, it was proposed for Ladysmith to be renamed to uMnambithi.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.iol.co.za/thepost/news/mixed-feelings-on-possible-renaming-of-ladysmith-0777c868-9d4c-479a-be4e-494e77595261|title=Mixed feelings on possible renaming of Ladysmith|first=Latoya|last=Newman|date=13 December 2023|access-date=30 March 2024 |work=[[Independent Online]] }}</ref> The name change officially took place in March 2024.<ref name="insidepolitic.co.za-26Mar24" /><ref name="www.timeslive.co.za-26Mar24" /><ref name="Jacaranda-26Mar24" />
== History == [[File:Juana Ponce De Leon Smith.gif|thumb|left|[[Juana María de los Dolores de León Smith]]]]
In 1847, after buying land from the [[Zulu Kingdom|Zulu]] king [[Mpande]], a number of [[Boer]]s settled in the area and called it the '''Republic of Klip River''' ({{langx|af|Klip Rivier Republiek}}) with [[Andries Spies]] as their commandant. The republic was annexed by the British in the same year and on 20 June 1850 was proclaimed a township called Windsor.<ref name="ladysmithhistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.ladysmithhistory.com/the-town/|title=Ladysmith History & The Boer War|access-date=2008-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224014849/http://www.ladysmithhistory.com/the-town/|archive-date=2013-02-24|url-status=dead}}</ref> On 11 October 1850, the name was changed to Ladysmith after [[Juana María de los Dolores de León Smith]], also known as "Lady Smith," the Spanish wife of [[Harry Smith (army)|Sir Harry Smith]], the Governor of the [[Cape Colony]] and high commissioner in South Africa from 1847 to 1852. A fort was built in 1860 to protect the villagers from the Zulu.<ref name="ladysmithhistory"/><ref name="upenn-autobio">{{cite web |url=http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/hsmith/autobiography/harry.html |title=The Autobiography of Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Smith |last=Smith|first=Harry |year=1903 |access-date=2008-10-21}}</ref>
=== The Second Boer War === {{main|Battle of Ladysmith|Siege of Ladysmith|Relief of Ladysmith}} [[File:Ladysmith Town Hall 1900 - Project Gutenberg eText 15972.png|thumb|left|The town hall during the siege in 1900, with Boer artillery damage to the bell tower]]
During the [[Second Boer War]], British Lieutenant-General [[George White (British Army officer)|Sir George White]] made Ladysmith his centre of operations for the protection of Natal against Boer forces.<ref name="TLO2-C3">{{cite book|author1=Durand, Henry Mortimer |author2=White, George Stuart |title=The life of Field-Marshal Sir George White, V.C. |publisher=W. Blackwood|location=Edinburgh, London|year=1915|volume=II|pages=17–27|chapter=III - Arrival in South Africa|chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/lifeoffieldmarsh02durauoft#page/17/mode/1up|access-date=2009-12-01}}</ref> Starting on 29 October 1899, a number of short-lived battles were fought for control of the town, but after suffering heavy casualties British forces retreated to Ladysmith, though the Boers did not make use of this opportunity to follow up their successes and take control of the town. Following the battles, while British forces under White regrouped in the town, the Boers surrounded Ladysmith. The [[siege of Ladysmith]] lasted 118 days, from 2 November 1899 to 28 February 1900, during the most crucial stage of the war.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_ladysmith.html|title=Siege of Ladysmith, 2 November 1899 – 27 February 1900|last=Rickard|first=J|date=2007-02-05|access-date=2008-10-21}}</ref>
Three attempts by General Sir [[Redvers Buller]] to break the siege resulted in Boer victories at the battles of [[Battle of Colenso|Colenso]], [[Battle of Spion Kop|Spion Kop]] and [[Battle of Vaal Krantz|Vaal Krantz]]. On 6 January 1900, Boer forces under Commandant-General [[Piet Joubert]] attempted to end the siege by taking the town before the British could launch another attempt to break the siege. This led to the [[battle of Platrand]] (or Wagon Hill) south of the town. British forces under Buller finally broke the siege on 28 February 1900 after defeating the Boers by using close cooperation between his infantry and artillery. [[Winston Churchill]], then a young war correspondent for ''[[The Morning Post]]'' of London, was present at the relief of Ladysmith after having been taken prisoner (between Ladysmith and Colenso) and escaping earlier during the war.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/26198/26198-8.txt |title=From the Commencement of the War to the Battle of Colenso, 15th Dec. 1899 |last=Creswicke|first=Louis |work=South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 2 (of 6) |publisher=Project Gutenberg |access-date=2008-09-08}}</ref><ref> {{cite web |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/winston_churchill |title= Winston Churchill |access-date= 3 February 2008 |publisher= bbc.co.uk}}</ref><ref> {{cite web|url= http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9108565|title= Churchill, Sir Winston |access-date= 3 February 2008 |publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica Online}}</ref> [[Mahatma Gandhi|Mohandas Gandhi]], along with the stretcher-bearing corps that he had established earlier during the war, was involved in a number of actions that took place in and around Ladysmith during the relief.<ref>{{cite book |last=Radhakrishnan|first=S. |title=Mahatma Gandhi: Essays and Reflections |publisher=Jaico Publishing House |year=2000 |page=510 |isbn=978-81-7224-122-3 }}</ref>
==Geography== {{climate chart|Ladysmith |15|28|122 |15|28|106 |13|27|86 |10|25|34 |6|22|7 |3|20|1 |3|20|1 |5|22|6 |9|24|20 |11|25|58 |13|26|90 |14|28|108 |float=right |source=[http://www.saexplorer.co.za/south-africa/climate/ladysmith_climate.asp SA Explorer]}} [[File:South Africa-Ladysmith-Windsor Dam-001.jpg|thumb|left|Windsor Dam]] Ladysmith is located on the banks of the [[Klip River (KwaZulu-Natal)|Klip River]] ("stone river"), with the central business district and a large part of the residential areas located within the flood basin of the river. It is on the foothills of the [[Drakensberg]] mountains, about 26 km from the [[Van Reenen's Pass]]. The town has a [[Oceanic climate|subtropical highland climate]] (''Cwb'', according to the [[Köppen climate classification]]), with warm summers and cool, dry winters. It borders on a [[humid subtropical climate]] (''Cwa''). The average annual precipitation is {{convert|639|mm|0|abbr=on}}, with most rainfall occurring during summer.
Since it was established the town has suffered severely from flooding of the [[Klip River (KwaZulu-Natal)|Klip River]]. During the 110 years up to 1997 with the completion of the [[Qedusizi Dam]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.info.gov.za/otherdocs/1998/gov-rep.htm |title=Water resource management |year=1998 |publisher=South African Government Information |access-date=2008-09-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070912132849/http://www.info.gov.za/otherdocs/1998/gov-rep.htm |archive-date=2007-09-12 }}</ref> 29 serious floods occurred.<ref name="GS1">{{cite journal |url=http://egsp.lyellcollection.org/cgi/content/abstract/15/1/3 |title=The problem of flooding in Ladysmith, Natal, South Africa |year=1998 |journal= Geological Society, London, Engineering Geology Special Publications|doi=10.1144/GSL.ENG.1998.015.01.01 |access-date=2008-09-08|last1=Bell |first1=F. G. |last2=Mason |first2=T. R. |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=3–10 |s2cid=140597926 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Minor flooding occurred almost every year. The worst flooding in 30 years occurred in 1996 leading to [[South African rand|R]]500 million in damages and the evacuation of 400 families.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ndmc.gov.za/Documents/Framework/tabid/261/ctl/ViewDocument/mid/628/ItemID/18/Default.aspx |format=PDF |title=Disaster management guidelines for municipalities |publisher=National Disaster Management Centre |page=10 |access-date=2008-10-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222060330/http://www.ndmc.gov.za/Documents/Framework/tabid/261/ctl/ViewDocument/mid/628/ItemID/18/Default.aspx |archive-date=February 22, 2014 }}</ref> Efforts to control the flooding date back to the 1940s. In 1949 the [[Windsor Dam]] was completed, but this dam silted up very quickly and was not an effective means of flood control.<ref name="GS1"/>
===Climate=== {{Weather box | width = auto | metric first = yes | single line = yes | location = Ladysmith (1981–2010) | Jan high C = 29.5 | Feb high C = 28.5 | Mar high C = 27.7 | Apr high C = 25.1 | May high C = 22.7 | Jun high C = 20.1 | Jul high C = 20.6 | Aug high C = 22.7 | Sep high C = 25.3 | Oct high C = 26.1 | Nov high C = 27.4 | Dec high C = 29.2 | Jan low C = 16.8 | Feb low C = 16.4 | Mar low C = 15.0 | Apr low C = 10.9 | May low C = 6.4 | Jun low C = 2.0 | Jul low C = 2.5 | Aug low C = 6.0 | Sep low C = 10.0 | Oct low C = 12.3 | Nov low C = 14.4 | Dec low C = 16.0 | rain colour = green | Jan rain mm = 145 | Feb rain mm = 106 | Mar rain mm = 90 | Apr rain mm = 39 | May rain mm = 14 | Jun rain mm = 6 | Jul rain mm = 5 | Aug rain mm = 26 | Sep rain mm = 38 | Oct rain mm = 77 | Nov rain mm = 91 | Dec rain mm = 112 | unit rain days = 0.1 mm | Jan rain days = 14.4 | Feb rain days = 11.8 | Mar rain days = 11.3 | Apr rain days = 6.1 | May rain days = 2.9 | Jun rain days = 1.4 | Jul rain days = 1.4 | Aug rain days = 3.2 | Sep rain days = 4.8 | Oct rain days = 9.7 | Nov rain days = 12.5 | Dec rain days = 14.1 | source 1 = [[World Meteorological Organization]]<ref>{{cite web |url = https://worldweather.wmo.int/en/city.html?cityId=2985 |title = World Weather Information Service |publisher = World Meteorological Organization |access-date = 19 August 2024}}</ref> }}
== Transport ==
=== Air === {{main|Ladysmith Airport}} [[File:Station Ladysmith.JPG|thumb|left|Ladysmith railway station]] Ladysmith is served by a small [[Ladysmith Airport|airport]], {{airport codes|LAY|FALY}} located on the western outskirts of the town just below Platrand at {{coord|28|34|48|S|29|45|10|E |region:ZA_type:airport |name=Ladysmith Aerodrome}}.
=== Rail === The Danskraal Yard is located on the [[Free State (South African province)|Free State]] main line and the [[Glencoe, KwaZulu-Natal|Glencoe]]–[[Vryheid]] line and acts as a depot for train marshalling and maintenance as well as rail maintenance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kzntransport.gov.za/public_trans/freight_databank/kzn/rail/marshalling_yards/index.html |title=KwaZulu-Natal Freight Transport Data bank|publisher=KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport |access-date=2008-10-21}}</ref> The passenger station is located some distance away from [[Danskraal]] close to the Central Business District.
=== Road === The [[N11 road (South Africa)|N11]] links Ladysmith with [[Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal|Newcastle]] in the north and with the N3 Freeway in the south-west, while the [[R103 road (South Africa)|R103]] provides access to [[Colenso, KwaZulu-Natal|Colenso]] in the south and the N3 Freeway in the west.<ref name=":0">{{Cite report |url=http://www.transport.gov.za/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=5qOHvOI4KuY%3d |title=South African Numbered Route Description and Destination Analysis |last=Falkner |first=John |date=May 2012 |publisher=National Department of Transport |pages=25–26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606100245/http://www.transport.gov.za/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=5qOHvOI4KuY%3d |url-status=dead |accessdate=12 August 2014 |archivedate=6 June 2014}}</ref> Traffic traveling between [[Durban]] and [[Johannesburg]] used to pass through Ladysmith up until the late 1980s, but the completion of the [[N3 (South Africa)|N3 Toll Highway]], bypassing Ladysmith {{convert|15|km|mi}} to the west, has caused a dramatic drop in traffic volumes through this town as well as others that are now bypassed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eskom.co.za/content/BVLine_Appendix8_Archaeology.pdf |title=Heritage Impact Assessment of Braamhoek Integrated Power Supply Project |publisher=eThembeni Cultural Heritage |page=8 |access-date=2010-06-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610051001/http://www.eskom.co.za/content/BVLine_Appendix8_Archaeology.pdf |archive-date=2011-06-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In that regard, the old main road through Ladysmith is now designated as the R103.<ref name=":0" />
== Society and culture == [[File:South Africa-Ladysmith-002.jpg|thumb|[[Castor and Pollux]] historical Howitzer cannons in front of the Town Hall, 2000.]] [[File:Platrand-Imperial Light Horse Memorial-001.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Imperial Light Horse]] Memorial on Wagon Hill for the officers, [[Non-commissioned officer|n.c.o]]s and troops who died in battle on January 6, 1900. Photograph 2008.]] The only sold local newspaper in Ladysmith is the ''Ladysmith Gazette''. It is believed to have been established in 1902, and is part of the Caxton Group of newspapers. Two free local newspapers are the ''Ladysmith Herald'' and the ''Times of Ladysmith''..<ref>http://epaper.ladysmithherald.co.za {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317025054/http://epaper.ladysmithherald.co.za/ |date=2008-03-17 }}</ref> [[South African Infantry Corps|5 South African Infantry Battalion]] is based in Ladysmith.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.army.mil.za/hq_units/infantry_fmn/contactus.htm |title=Infantry Formation |publisher=South African Army |access-date=2008-10-21 |archive-date=2018-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104215401/http://www.army.mil.za/hq_units/infantry_fmn/contactus.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> A military [[shooting range]] is located on the outskirts of the town between the Aerodrome and Platrand.
Other buildings of interest are the Siege Museum, built in 1884 as a marketplace and opened as a museum in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.warthog.co.za/dedt/tourism/battlefields/towns/ladysmith.htm|title=The Siege Museum|publisher=Tourism Natal.net|access-date=2008-10-22|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031025151338/http://www.warthog.co.za/dedt/tourism/battlefields/towns/ladysmith.htm|archive-date=2003-10-25}}</ref> Detailing the battles and history at the time of the Siege, the museum holds around 60,000 documents related to the Siege and the Boer War.<ref>{{cite web |title=52. Ladysmith Siege Museum |publisher=National Archives and Records Service (NARS) |url=http://www.national.archives.gov.za/dir_entries_pg5_2005.htm |access-date=2008-10-22}}</ref> The Town Hall was damaged by Boer artillery during the [[Second Boer War]]. A large number of the [[Second Boer War]] Battlefields around Ladysmith have been preserved as memorial sites. Monuments and memorials to those who died during the battles have been erected at most of them. Two [[RML 6.3 inch Howitzer]]s used by the British during the Siege stand in front of the Town Hall.
[[File:Wagon Hill-Burgher Memorial-001.jpg|thumb|right|The Burgher Memorial on Wagon Hill at Platrand. Photo 2008.]] Located just south of the town, the Platrand/Wagon Hill area saw action during the Relief of Ladysmith. The Burgher Memorial on Wagon Hill, a sculpture of six hands pointing upwards and one downwards, was erected in 1979 in honour of 781 Boer forces killed in the battles in [[Colony of Natal|Natal]] during the [[Second Boer War]]. A crypt at the center contains the remains of 310 re-interred burghers.<ref name="HKN-Platrand">{{cite web|url=http://www.amafa.co.za/030_Platrand.htm |title=Platrand & Burger Memorial |publisher=[[Heritage KwaZulu Natal]] |access-date=11 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224004715/http://amafa.co.za/sites/visit/ladysmith/item/67-platrand-and-burger-memorial |archive-date=24 Dec 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.battlefieldsroute.co.za/place/the-burgher-monument/ |title=The Burgher Monument |last= |first= |date= |website=battlefieldsroute.co.za |publisher=Battlefields Route Association |access-date=11 November 2022 |quote=}}</ref> On Platrand there are memorials to the [[Imperial Light Horse]], the [[Devonshire Regiment]], the [[Earl of Ava]] and a number of others.
Ladysmith is the hometown of [[Joseph Shabalala]], founder of the group [[Ladysmith Black Mambazo]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.mambazo.com/profile.php |title = The Official site of Ladysmith Black Mambazo |publisher = Ladysmith Black Mambazo |year = 2010 |access-date = 28 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101020070240/https://www.mambazo.com/profile.php |archive-date=October 20, 2010}}</ref> [[Thulani Malinga|Thulani "Sugar Boy" Malinga]], a champion boxer, was born in Ladysmith.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boxing-records.com/palm/voirpalma.php?boxeur=malingth.html |title=Thulane MALINGA |publisher=Boxing Records Online |access-date=2008-10-21}}</ref> [[Thamsanqa Gabuza]], a soccer player, who plays for Orlando Pirates, was born in Ladysmith.
[[File:South Africa-Ladysmith-Sufi Mosque-01.jpg|thumb|left|Soofi Mosque]] [[Christianity]] has a strong presence in and around Ladysmith. It can be seen through the places of worship built around the time of the Anglo Boer wars. One such structure includes the Anglican All Saints Church, built in 1902 from cut flagstones from a quarry in the area. [[Islam]] also has a strong presence in the town, which is well known for the Soofie Mosque on the banks of the Klip River. Built in 1969, it is regarded as one of the finest in the country. The origins of the structure date back to 1895 when [[Hazrath Soofie Saheb]] arrived in South Africa. He made it his mission to build as many as 12 mosques along the east coast of Durban. Ladysmith was also the home of a revered saint known as [[Hazrath Soofie Sayed Mahomed Abed Mia Osmani]], who is buried in the Ladysmith Muslim Cemetery.<ref name="HKN-Soofi">{{cite web |url=http://www.amafa.co.za/sites/visit/ladysmith/soofi-mosque.html |title=Soofi Mosque |location=Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |publisher=[[Heritage KwaZulu Natal]] |access-date=18 February 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Browne|first=James Stark|title=Through South Africa with the British Association|year=1906|publisher=J Speirs|location=London|chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/throughsouthafr00sciegoog#page/n110/mode/2up/search/mosque|page=73|chapter=The Battlefields}}</ref>
For [[Hinduism]], Sanathan Dharma Sabha was inaugurated to promote religious, social, cultural and education activities in Ladysmith in 1902. The oldest Hindu temple resulted from the amalgamation of Hindu Thirukootam (1910) with the Shree Ganaser Temple and hall erected in 1916. It was declared a national monument in November 1990. The present site of the SDS temple (Sanathan Dharma Sabha aka Lord Vishnu Temple) also housed Mahatma Gandhi who established a non-White Stretcher-bearer service in the Ambulance Corps in the Ladysmith and Spioenkop during the Anglo-Boer War.
There are also [[Rastafari]]an devotees within the areas surrounding Ladysmith, residing in Waters Meet, Peace Town, eZakheni, Steadville, Saint Chads, Acaciaville and Roosbom.
==Notable people==
* [[Cecilia Tshabalala]], women's rights activist and clubwoman
==References== {{Reflist}}
=== Bibliography === * {{cite book|last=Hewetson|first=George Benson|title=The mountains and other poems|publisher=Sisley's|location=London|year=1908|chapter=Ladysmith|chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/mountainsotherpo00hewe#page/19/mode/1up|access-date=2009-11-10}} * ''[[Ladysmith (novel)|Ladysmith]]'' — a novel by [[Giles Foden]] that is set in Ladysmith * ''[[London to Ladysmith via Pretoria]]'' — a book by [[Winston Churchill]] that includes an account of the [[Relief of Ladysmith]] * {{cite book|last=Gore|first=St. John|title=The Green Horse in Ladysmith|url=https://archive.org/details/greenhorseinlad00goregoog|publisher=Sampson, Low, Marston and Co.|year=1901}} Available as {{Internet Archive|greenhorseinlad00goregoog|The Green Horse in Ladysmith}} * {{cite book|first=Donald|last=MacDonald|title=How We Kept the Flag Flying: The Story of the Siege of Ladysmith|publisher=Ward, Lock & Co|year=1900}} Available as {{Internet Archive|howwekeptflagfl00macdgoog|How We Kept the Flag Flying: The Story of the Siege of Ladysmith}} * {{cite book|last=Steevens|first=George Warrington|author-link=G. W. Steevens|title=From Capetown to Ladysmith: An Unfinished Account of the South African War}} available as {{gutenberg|no=16337|name=From Capetown to Ladysmith by George Warrington Steevens}} * {{cite book|last=Norris|first=Stephen Leslie|title=The South African War, 1899-1900 : a military retrospect up to the relief of Ladysmith|url=https://archive.org/details/southafricanwar00norrgoog|publisher=John Murray|year=1900}} Available as {{Internet Archive|southafricanwar00norrgoog|The South African War, 1899-1900 : a military retrospect up to the relief of Ladysmith}} * {{cite book|last=Wilkinson|first=Spenser|title=Lessons of the War: Being Comments from Week to Week, to the Relief of Ladysmith|url=https://archive.org/details/lessonswarbeing00wilkgoog|publisher=Constable|year=1900}} Available as {{Internet Archive|lessonswarbeing00wilkgoog|Lessons of the War: Being Comments from Week to Week, to the Relief of Ladysmith}} * {{cite book|last=Atkins|first=John Black|title=The relief of Ladysmith|url=https://archive.org/details/reliefladysmith00atkigoog|publisher=Methuen|year=1900}} Available as {{Internet Archive|reliefofladysmit00atki|The relief of Ladysmith}} * [[s:The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi|''The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi'']] — contains a number of chapters dealing with Ladysmith: ** Volume II - Indians in Ladysmith (29-10-1903); Indian Store-Keepers in Ladysmith (5-11-1903); Indian Licences in Ladysmith (10-12-1903) ** Volume IV - Ladysmith Licences (11-2-1904) ** Volume V - The Ladysmith Licensing Board (21-4-1906); Indentured Indians in Ladysmith (23-6-1906) ** Volume VI - Ladysmith Licences (23-2-1907); Ladysmith Appeals (20-4-1907); Licence Case in Ladysmith (11-5-1907); Ladysmith Struggle (18-5-1907) ** Volume VII - The Ladysmith Traders (31-8-1907); Licences in Ladysmith (31-8-1907); Indian Merchants of Ladysmith (26-10-1907)
==External links== {{wikivoyage|Ladysmith}} * {{commons category-inline}} * [http://battlefields.kzn.org.za/battlefields/about/191.xml Ladysmith Battlefields] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212053711/http://battlefields.kzn.org.za/battlefields/about/191.xml |date=2008-02-12 }} * [http://ladysmith.kzn.org.za Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628170006/http://ladysmith.kzn.org.za/ |date=2014-06-28 }}
{{UThukela District Municipality}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal| ]] [[Category:Populated places in the Alfred Duma Local Municipality]] [[Category:Populated places established in 1850]] [[Category:1850 establishments in the Colony of Natal]]