CATO MANOR HERITAGE CENTRE
About Cato Manor
Cato Manor, a township boasting a unique multi-cultural community, informal settlements and various religious sites, is perhaps best known for its dramatic history of forced removals. Through large black and white prints, the Cato Manor Heritage Centre vividly exhibits the stark realities of evictions, rebellion, riots and suppression.
A focus on the ‘Durban System’, which was administered and implemented by city officials, links themes explored at the Cato Manor Heritage Centre to the KwaMuhle Museum in Ordnance Road, providing visitors with an ideal opportunity to explore the city’s history by visiting both museums and then by traveling through the area also referred to as ‘Umkumbane’ by locals.
Exhibitions:
Large black and white photographic prints at the Cato Manor Heritage Centre, which is situated in the heart of the community, vividly depict the stark realities of evictions, rebellion, riots and suppression.
Although the Heritage Centre currently occupies a small site, plans are afoot for it to move to a new museum site. This will lay the foundations for the development of a dynamic cultural node within the bounds of Cato Manor. During 2011 the Municipality acquired a donation of land from the University of KwaZulu- Natal for the building of this new museum. The construction began in 2012. The Local History Museums together with the Cato Manor Area Based Management, the National Lottery Distribution Fund and other funders are working with a professional team to make this museum one of the city’s key heritage assets.
