Living in Ladysmith, knowing it’s a small place with not much entertainment, we can still enjoy the beautiful sights and historical landmarks in and around town.
Today, Ladysmith acts as a commercial centre for the large surrounding farming district. The town became a focus of attention during the Anglo-Boer War, both locally and overseas, when it fell under siege from October 1899 to March 1900.
Here are five places you can visit in Ladysmith, so have a great adventure and share special moments with your friends / loved ones:
1- Nambithi Game Reserve. Nambiti’s chief appeal is its exclusivity as the only big 5 reserve in the Natal Midlands and Battlefields area.
2- The Spionkop Dam Nature Reserve. The 4400-hectare Spioenkop Dam Nature Reserve lies close to Ladysmith and Winterton, with breathtaking views from the summit of Spioenkop alone making the journey here worthwhile. Picnic sites litter the shore around the dam and the Discovery Trail, which splits into a 3-kilometre and 6-kilometre loop, winds around the dam’s southern shore in an area free of dangerous game to provide wonderful walking opportunities.
3- Town Hall. Make a trip to the Town Hall and discover a building that is brimming with history and fascinating facts.
4- Ladysmith Siege Museum. Housed in a building built in 1884, it is regarded both here and abroad as one of the best Anglo-Boer War museums in the country. It brings the whole period of the siege to life using black and white photographs, electronic mapping, documents and artifacts from the period.
5- Gandhi Statue. During the Battle of Spioenkop, Gandhi and a group of 1100 others were stretcher bearers. Gandhi performed incredibly well under the circumstances in these dark times and carried out his work exceptionally. He was also responsible for training the other stretcher bearers in their duties. They left on the last train prior to the Ladysmith Siege. The Hindu Community in Ladysmith celebrated the anniversary of his arrival in Natal in 1993 and erected a statue of him outside of the Vishnu Temple in his honour.
