Many people wonder who lived in Cato Manor before the land was given to George Cato, Durban’s first mayor. Well, it has been established that the land belonged to the Nqondo clan who occupied it in the 1650s. In 1730 they were displaced by the Ntuli clan. It is not clear what happened to the Ntuli clan.
There is evidence that one of the clans that lived on this piece of land were blacksmiths who manufactured spears. It is assumed that they would have bartered their spears for goods that they needed.
In 1843 George Cato, was given this farm (where Cato Manor is today) as compensation for a beachfront piece of land which was taken and used for military purposes. In 1914 Cato subdivided and sold the farm to prominent residents, who developed country estates, and to Indians who cultivated vegetable and fruit gardens.
By the end of 1945, the houses in Cato Manor ranged from old farmhouses, to middle and low-income housing schemes (for municipal employees), and shacks for agricultural workers. Indians and Africans came into frequent contact in both their working and social lives in Cato Manor.
In January 1949, George Madondo was shopping in Grey Street when he was accused of theft by an Indian shop assistant. That incident turned into a war against Indians. In the ensuing violence, 137 people were killed and thousands were injured. Shops, homes and public buildings were destroyed. Cato Manor was the worst affected area.
As a consequence of the riots, many Indian landowners lost their property to African shack lords and traders. In 1952 the City Council acquired land from Indian landowners to build an emergency camp, which was later known as "Mkhumbane". This camp was overpopulated. The municipality encountered many problems in controlling the home made distilled liquor, which was the main source of income for the unemployed African women living in the area.
In the 1960s the Group Areas Act was applied, and people were forcibly removed to the racially exclusive African and Indian townships of KwaMashu, Umlazi and Chatsworth. Umkhumbane ceased to exist in 1965.
Since 1979 people have been making attempts to regain their properties.