| 1802 | Drought and famine in Natal lead to upheaval among chiefdoms. |
| 1815 | Shaka becomes chief of the Zulu. |
| 1828 | Shaka assassinated and succeeded by Dingane. |
| 1834 | Port Natal renamed Durban. |
| 1838 | Voortrekkers arrive in Dingane’s kingdom. |
| Battle of Bloodriver. | |
| 1839 | Mpande proclaimed as king of the Zulu. |
| 1843 | Britain annexes Natal. |
| 1851 | Sugar first produced from cane in Natal. Zulu unwilling to work for plantation owners, who demand |
| Indian labour. |
| 1858 | The last elephant seen in Durban. |
| 1860 | First indentured Indian labourers arrive in Natal. (Between 1860 and 152 000 Indians arrive) |
| 26 June – First railway in South Africa. | |
| 1864 | First bridge across the Umgeni river. |
| First eighty oil lit street lamps. | |
| 1872 | Cetshwayo proclaimed king of the Zulu after the death of Mpande. |
| 1879 | Start of the Anglo-Zulu war. |
| 1882 | Cetshwayo, aboard the Arab, sails to England to visit Queen Victoria. |
| 1884 | Cetshwayo dies New Republic declared on Zulu land. Dinizulu established as King |
| 1885 | First City Hall in Durban completed. Currently the Post Office. |
| 1887 | Britain annexes Zululand. |
| 1893 | Mahatma Gandhi arrives in Natal. He returned to India in 1914. |
| 1897 | ‘Nkosi Sekilel’ iAfrica’ composed by Enoch Sontonga. |
| Natal annexes Zululand. | |
| 1899 | South African War breaks out |
| 1910 | New City Hall – 12 April. |
