17 June  1959

Cato Manor protests begin

Under the Group Areas Act, a proclamation was made in 1959 that “In Cato Manor, Natal; 25,798   Indians, 2,107 Coloureds, and 28,298 Africans would be shifted. Indians will lose 2,891 acres of land and 2,444 dwellings valued at £1,685,350. Coloureds and Africans will lose over 70 acres of land and 133 dwellings valued at £25,940”.

The protests in Cato Manor began on 17 June 1959, when a demonstration of African women forced their way into a beer hall, destroying beer and drinking utensils and beating men who were drinking there.

The women were led by Florence Mkhize and Dorothy Nyembe and were dispersed by the police. It spread to become long months of protests against the forced removals.