Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal
A Zululand wedding venue big enough for the whole family
Weddings in this province are rarely small and they are rarely in one place. People come from Durban, from Eshowe, from the north, from wherever work took them. Thembela sits in the cane between Richards Bay and Empangeni, with the room, the kitchen and the beds to hold all of them at once.
Getting here
6 km
Empangeni
11 km
Richards Bay
127 km
King Shaka International
155 km
Durban
Distances are measured straight from the venue and run a little longer by road. Durban is comfortably a morning's drive. We send written directions with every booking and will forward them to your guests.
The catering is the part nobody asks about until it is too late
Most venues on this stretch of coast outsource their food. It sounds like a detail when you are standing on a beautiful lawn in March. It stops sounding like a detail at eight o'clock at night in October, when two hundred and fifty people are seated and the caterer is somebody else's company, on somebody else's schedule, working out of a marquee.
Thembela does not work that way. The kitchen belongs to the venue and Cecilia has been cooking these celebrations for twenty five years, traditional menus and white wedding menus both. When a family holds a traditional ceremony on the Saturday and a white wedding on the Sunday, it is the same kitchen cooking for both, and neither one is treated as the afterthought.
The rest follows from that. Rooms on the property for the people who drove five hours. A venue that is used to numbers rather than apologetic about them. And a team that has done this often enough in Zululand to know what the day actually looks like, rather than what it looks like in a brochure.
Traditional and white
Two celebrations, one venue, one kitchen. Across one weekend or two, without a family having to split the day between two places.
Our own kitchen
Catering is cooked here rather than bought in, which on this coast is the exception and not the rule.
Beds for the ones who travelled
Accommodation is on the property, so family coming from Durban or further north are not driving home in the dark.
“Nestled in the middle of a sugar cane plantation in our Zululand region lies Thembela Venue. Rated 4 star venue but definitely warrants a higher rating. The venue offer catering beyond expectation. Staff are always present to offer assistance. Food was oustanding, staff were friendly venue was awesome. Definite thumbs up.”
Renesh Soudamma · Google review
Questions
we are asked
Where in Zululand is Thembela?
Between Richards Bay and Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal, surrounded by sugar cane. It is about six kilometres from Empangeni and eleven from Richards Bay.
How far is Thembela from Durban?
About one hundred and fifty five kilometres, which is comfortably a morning's drive up the coast. King Shaka International Airport is roughly one hundred and twenty seven kilometres away.
Does the venue host traditional weddings?
Yes. Many of the families who marry at Thembela hold a traditional ceremony and a white wedding, sometimes on the same day and often across two. The venue and the kitchen handle both.
Is the catering done in house?
Yes. The kitchen is the venue's own and the food is cooked on site. On this coast catering is usually outsourced, which is why guests so often mention the food in their reviews.
Is there accommodation for guests travelling across the province?
Yes, there are rooms on the property. Families driving from Durban or from further north do not have to travel again the same night.
Come and walk it
Send us your date and your guest numbers and we will tell you straight away whether it is open.
Book a viewing