A Brief History of Umhlali

Written By Michael Robert

The village of Umhlali, inland from Salt Rock, was established by British and Scottish Byrne settlers in 1850 and was originally Fort William. 

It was renamed Umhlali – the Zulu name for the Monkey Orange tree, which grew abundantly along the banks of the Umhlali River but locals also referred to it as the “place of waiting” because settlers and locals would have to wait on the banks before crossing the river on a northward journey.

While Ballito consisted of a few beach shacks at this time Umhlali was the hub of the farming community with the heart of the village being the bustling main road sporting a bank, post office, supermarket, hairdresser, car dealership, farmers’ co-op and of course the Lali Hotel. Until the new retail developments began in Ballito, Umhlali was initially one of the only places locally to buy groceries, collect post, go to the bank, fill up with petrol and go to school. 

Umhlali Preparatory School, which opened its doors on 11 February 1918 is steeped in history, is still a highly respected and popular school today. These shops have since all closed, being replaced by the more modern centres but, quite excitingly, an up and coming developer group is currently redeveloping this old hub.

Michael Robert
In 2012 Michael was trying to find information about the launch of the iPhone 5 in South Africa. After searching and not being able to find reliable websites that provided useful information, he started Apple News (www.applenews.co.za). Two years after starting the website Michael made the bold move of committing to the project full-time, instead of a part time hobby. At this stage the website was not making any money but Michael is passionate about Apple products and has a great deal of knowledge about them, he decided he would rather spend his time doing something he is passionate about that he enjoys. At the start of 2015 Apple News changed to iGenius. Michael's desire for iGenius is to provide Apple users in South Africa with a one stop location where all their Apple needs could be addressed, from fixing iPhones, to offering support as well as training people how to use their Apple products and get the most benefit out of their device. While the dream has a long way to go Michael is always looking to partner with Apple fans around South Africa to create the best Apple experience. About Michael Michael had previously completed a computer technicians course, so had a solid foundation to start with when he purchased his first Apple product in 2004. After a week of using his new Powerbook, Michael wasn't really sure how to use the computer and kept referring back to using a Windows computer. Someone told him that unless he stops using Windows he will never learn to use his Mac. Michael made a decision that day to never use a Windows computer again. Though months of frustration followed, Michael taught himself to do anything and everything on a Mac. This absolute dedication to learn everything about using an Apple computer got Michael following every Apple event since 2006. During this time Michael started studying a Diploma in Marketing and guess who Michael applied all his learning to? thats right, APPLE. Michael was so fascinated with Apple the he eventually ended up studying NPS (Net Promoter System), Apple's loyalty metric used in every Apple Store. Michael's knowledge and experience with Apple products has lead him to be known as the iGenius amongst his peers.
www.igenius.co.za
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