Page 111 - Heritage Streets of KwaMashu 2025

SECTION M
IZINAMBUZANE
The streets of M-Section are named after insects (izinambuzane). Insects provide useful services to humans and the environment in several ways. They keep pest insects in check, pollinate crops we rely on as food, and act as sanitation experts, cleaning up waste so the world doesn’t become overrun with dung.
• Entomophagy: the practice of eating insects, entomophagy, sounds gross to us but insects have served as a food source for people for tens of thousands of years. It is now rare in most countries, but entomophagy (“insect-eating”) is still practiced in parts of Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. Beneficial effects of edible insects on health have been reported in numerous studies, and they possess several health-promoting properties such as antidiabetic, antioxidative, antiobesity, and anticancer activity, along with gastro-intestinal health benefits (https://www. sciencedirect.com). Some insects are eaten for their taste or as substitutes for proteins. For example, dry-toasted termites (izinhlwabusi/umuhlwa) and grasshopper/locust intethe/iqhwagi/idiya taste like sunflower seed
• Entomotherapy/Apitherapy: insects or chemicals extracted from them have been used to help humans with medical issues for thousands of years (entomotherapy) Apitherapy is more commonly known as bee venom therapy. Bee venom is a complex composition of enzymes, proteins, and amino acids, which stimulates the release of cortisol (a hormone the body secretes when stressed). The beneficial
effects of maggots upon the healing of infected wounds • have been recognized since time immemorial. For example, • surgeons observed that wounds infested with maggots healed more quickly and with fewer complications than comparable wounds that had not become infested.
• Suture ants (izintuthwane/amatsheketshe) - when skin is
cut deeply, stitches are usually needed to close the wound. • In some cultures, ants were used to stitch wounds. They • would hold the skin together, grab an ant with big jaws
(like an army or leaf-cutter ant), put its mouth to the • wound, and wait for it to bite down. Then the body would
be removed and the head left with the ant mouth pinching
the skin together.
• When it comes to pollination, over 75% of all flowering plants and 75% of our crops rely on animals to carry pollen from one flower to another. Most of these pollinators are insects. Most of us think of honeybees when we hear the • word “pollinator”. But, is not just honeybees that pollinate plants, other bees (native bees), butterflies, moths, beetles,
and flies also perform this essential task. The value of pollination services provided by bees and other insects is even greater. Imagine a world where leaves that fall from a tree, or poop never disappeared...they just accumulate over time. Soon we would be knee-deep in dead plants, animals, and poop. Many insects feed on these resources and break them down into nutrients that help plants grow.
• Some insects are agriculturally, medically, domestically, culturally, or ecologically common or significant in KwaZulu-Natal province.
Umuhlwa (termite)
Ibhungezi-ibhungane (beetle – little biter) Its appearance at home, it can mean that your past grandparents (usually grannies) want you to know that you are valued, and loved. Isisho/saying: kukhala ibhungezi (meaning there is no one – only the beetle is left)
Intethe (locust, grasshopper, also known as iqhwagi) Itsheketshe (ant, comes in different types and sizes – some bite and some sting) (photo)
Inyendle: in African Zulu tradition inyendle (cricket) is associated with ancestors (amadlozi), so it is not allowed to be killed. When it appears inside the house it represents visitation by ancestors. When it makes noise for a few days it’s saying people in that family must make Zulu beer (utshwala besizulu). Once the beer has been made inyendle will stop making noise.
Umnyovu/umuvi (wasp) - a well-shaped slender woman is called Umnyovu (unokhalo oluncane). Wasps are known as those flying insects that exist all over the world and we all remember them for their dangerous sting. With their sting, the females inject a powerful poison that can intoxicate any human. However, on the flipside, these insects are not completely dangerous, because they perform appropriate tasks in their environment, such as pest control. They are distinguished by their bright colors and are found almost everywhere in the world. To reduce the pain from a wasp sting onion, apple cider, lemon, or ice is used. Some cultures view wasps as protective creatures due to their territorial behavior. Wasps’ industriousness in building
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