In the 1830s, Natal was for a brief time a Boer Republic called Natalia. Several Boers acquired farms for themselves including Inanda. These were largely abandoned when the British took control of Natal in 1843 and they fell into the hands of land speculators. Around the turn of the century, several wealthier Christians from Inanda mission including the Dubes and Gumedes, bought land from these speculators. Many ex-indentured Indian agriculturalists also bought land here. Until the 1920s, these landowners were able to make a decent living from their crops (Dube for example grew sugar cane). However they steadily found that discrimination was undermining their long-term viability.

In the 1930s, the entire area of private landholding in Inanda was designated as an African area in terms of unfolding segregationist legislation. This was, of course, a direct attack on Indian landowners there who were thereafter reluctant to add any new investments to their farms. Matters dragged on in a state of uncertainty until the late 1950s, when the apartheid government which had been in power for ten years, turned its attention to urban Africans. In order to introduce tight controls over entry to urban areas, the state built new townships all around Durban.

Access to housing became dependent on jobs. The largest and most important informal shanty town in Durban, Cato Manor, was destroyed and eligible residents were moved to KwaMashu. Those with no jobs were meant to leave the city altogether. They, however, moved further out to places like Inanda.  Landholders in Inanda, now in a desperate state, found that they could rent out plots for shacks which became a much steadier form of income than crop farming. They became 'shack farmers' and this was the beginning of urbanisation in Inanda.

Population Growth in Inanda
1977 1979 1985	68 000 88 000 250 000

From the late 1970s, Inanda saw a vast influx of people from the drought stricken rural areas. In the 1980s, Inanda changed from being a relatively quiet shanty town to an extremely dense settlement characterised by high levels of unemployment. This, combined with the social pressures of rapid urbanisation, the insecurity that most tenants felt, and the intensification of the anti-apartheid struggle in these years, produced an extremely volatile situation. In addition, the apartheid state wished to control this shack settlement and its own policies did much to destabilise the area.

From 1985 onwards, Inanda was caught up in a spiral of violence that has not altogether played itself out. First, the remaining Indian residents of the area were chased out (1985). Then there was warfare between the ANC and IFP particularly in lower Inanda (around Bhambayi, Lindelani, and in the new sections of Newtown township). Inanda was one of the most violence striken areas in the whole province. Since 1994, the situation has calmed down dramatically, however, outbreaks of violence presently still continue owing to political factionalism and marking out of exclusive territory for particular political leaders. Such a situation makes development initiatives within the Inanda area extremely difficult.

The Inanda Tourism Development Business Plan has been developed to provide a framework for tourism development in Inanda. This process has identified four main attractions for tourism in Inanda - the Phoenix Settlement, Ohlange Institution, Inanda Seminary and Ebuhleni.

Cultural Tourism Features in Inanda
The Phoenix Settlement was established in 1904 by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. It was badly damaged during racial violence but plans are under way for its reconstruction.	Ebuhleni falls under the iLembe Regional Council, which is responsible for infrastructure and facilities. Tourist interest is focussed on the major events making up the Calender of the traditional African Shembe Nazareth Baptist Church. Recently, the Church established a Section 21 Company to deal with tourism issues.
Ohlange Institution comprises a cluster of significant sites including John Langalibalele Dube's original house and his grave. Dube was a politician, humanitarian and educationist, as well as the first president of the African National Congress. A proposal has been put forward to establish a museum in his original house.	Inanda Seminary, a girls school founded in 1869 by the American Board for World Missionaries, belongs to the United Congregational Church of South Africa. During the course of the 1990s the Seminary has faced closure due to financial problems. The old pupils are trying to save the situation. A Section 21 Company with strong old pupil representation has been established to run the school. The buildings have been declared an historical monument and have been registered with Amafa (Heritage KwaZulu-Natal.)