1860 - A pivotal moment in our history

November 16, 2022, marked the 162nd anniversary of the first arrival of Indian indentured workers in colonial Natal aboard the SS Truro. This commemorative supplement tells of their trials and tribulations, their toils and triumphs. Women workers were once seen as ‘dead stock’ by recruiters of Indian indentured labour. They soon became indispensable on both the plantations and in the household carrying the burden of a double workload. Pictured are women workers preparing the soil for planting sugar cane in Esperanza on Durban’s South Coast. | 1860 Heritage Centre