The Tugela raft race originated back in 1965, when a small group decided to have an adventure on the Tugela river, from Mandini to the river mouth. Now, years later the event has grown into one of the biggest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. The second year of the race attracted so much local support that it had to be staged in a more organized fashion. The first few years of the Tugela Raft Race saw mainly local families competing, however details of the race soon spread, and participants from all over South Africa started taking part.

Soon the race saw various companies sponsoring rafts, as well as individual rafts competing, and the field of competitors eventually grew to over four hundred entrants. This forced the organizers to limit the number of entries to two hundred and fifty, in the interest of public safety.

The Tugela Raft Race has only been cancelled three times in it's history, due to low water levels. The race is organized by The Mandini Round Table, but a number of other parties have assisted in the smooth running of the event, including The S.A.P.S , Mandini Protection Services, N.S.R.I, Renckens SuperSpar, Blessed Gerard's First Aid and Emergency Service and various others who help with marshalling, catering and entertainment.