uMsinga's Christmas Eve fiesta of peace and Zulu pride

EVERY year in December something extraordinary unfolds in the heart of uMsinga, deep in rural KwaZulu-Natal.

- SANDILE MDADANE

On Christmas Eve, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, breadwinners who have returned home from Johannesburg, Durban, Richards Bay and other cities of labour, converge in places such as Keate's Drift, Tugela Ferry and Pomeroy.

What follows is not merely a homecoming but a cultural ritual steeped in memory, pride and survival.

The event is known as iHlamvu, a tradition dating back decades to the era of migrant labour, when men would leave their homesteads for months, sometimes years, to earn a living far from home. Christmas Eve became a ritual where the celebration of safe return, of life preserved against the odds of dangerous work, violence in the hostels, and the loneliness of separation are observed.

On this day, uMsinga comes to a standstill.

Dressed head to toe in matching, brand-new outfits, crisp mercerised shirts, Brentwood trousers, and polished shoes or, lately, soft leather Carvela loafers, the men parade through the streets in choreographed unity.

Handkerchiefs and towels sway rhythmically in the air as they walk, one shoulder dropped as they embark on their choreographed gait. Some carry matching umbrellas. Women line the dusty streets, ululating, clapping and calling out praises.

Most of the women and young girls complement the scene fully kitted out in their traditional attire.

The air vibrates with maskandi music and laughter. Today, smartphones are held aloft, capturing every moment for posterity, for family WhatsApp groups, and for social media timelines that now carry this rural spectacle far beyond the valley.

But iHlamvu is more than fashion, music and performance. It is a powerful act of remembrance and of defiance.

UMsinga was once synonymous with bloodshed. For decades, the area was torn apart by violent factional wars, wars started by stock theft and toxic masculinity, where grudges were settled during every December and Easter holiday.