HISTORY OF SHAKA ZULU

Compiled and written by Louis-John Havemann

I again reiterate that I am not an historian but merely relate stories that I had heard as a child and stories I have heard and read about during the course of my life. I count myself fortunate to have met the author of the book Shaka Zulu, Mr E.A. Ritter when I was a young boy. My late grandfather, was a Zulu interpreter to the British Colonial Government in Natal, and was present at the capture of Chief Sigananda Cube during the Bambatha Rebellion. Chief Siganada Cube at the time was 96 years old and was an advisor to Chief Bambatha. He was also an "idibi" or water carrier to Shaka himself. My grandfather, Oupa, as he was known to me, also told me many stories of the Zulu history that he was familiar with as a young man growing up in the old Zululand.
I further count myself fortunate to have been priviledged to have had aquaintance with Zulu royalty, the likes of the late Prince Senzo, Prince Mbatha and Prince Gideon Zulu who hunted with me on my game ranch Windy Ridge, as well as the late Chief Nkanyezi Biyela, chief of one of the largest clans in the Zulu nation, who was my next door neighbour and with whom I had an extremely good relationship. Zulu history was discussed at length and the stories enthralled me.
Prince Gideon Zulu was guardian and mentor to the present Zulu king, King Goodwill Zwelethini, before he was old enough to be eligible to be the Zulu King.

There were many other Zulu people, too numerous to mention, who discussed with pride their nation's history and stories and to whom I am most grateful.

CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT :

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE HISTORY OF KZN

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE HISTORY OF THE ZULU NATION

HISTORY OF THE AMANGWANE PEOPLE AND THE START OF THE MFECANE

SHAKA ZULU 1787 - 1828

He told the messenger to return home and inform Nandi that she was stricken with "ishaka", which was thought to be an internal beetle that suppressed a woman's menstrual cycle.When Nandi gave birth to a son she named him uShaka and word was sent to the Zulu tribe to come and fetch Nandi and her son. Not only was Shaka illegitimate but Nandi's mother, Mfunda, was a daughter of Kondlo the Qwabe chief, and marriage between these tribes was forbidden. Remember that the two sons of Ntombela were Qwabe and Zulu. A chief could however do no wrong, so with this double disgrace over her she was brought in as the third wife of Senzangakona, without any marriage ceremony.

The relationship between Senzangakona and Nandi was never really good and she felt very unwanted and neglected. Fortunately Senzangakona's head wife Mkabi showed her sympathy and took her under her wing. Mkabi was related to Nandi.
A sister to Shaka, Nomcoba, was born but the first six years of Shaka's life in the Zulu tribe were very unhappy years, aggravated by him seeing his mother's unhappiness.

At the age of six in a moment of negligence he allowed a dog to kill a sheep entrusted to his care. He was admonished by his father and Nandi defended him. This further angered Senzangakona resulting in him banning Nandi her son and daughter from the tribe. They were returned to the Elangeni tribe in disgrace as they considered her to have let down the Elangeni tribe as well as forcing them to return the lobola or bridal price to the Zulu tribe. Shaka spent his childhood years here subjected to much bullying by the other boys of the tribe.
He was most unhappy during this time and he was further ridiculed because the small size of his genitals. He built up an abiding hate and resentment for the Elangeni people and this resulted in a fierce driving force within him to excel and to dominate in all activities.

He became introverted and antisocial and this further aggravated the way people felt about him.

Shaka on one occasion killed a Black Mamba, one of Africa's most dangerous snakes that had bitten and killed a bull in his care.

Chief Mbengi of the Elangeni tribe called him up before the people of the tribe and congratulated him for this brave deed by giving him a goat.

When it became apparent that he was gaining sexual maturity he was sent back to the Zulu tribe to undergo the ceremony of attaining puberty and was presented with his umutsha, which was an apron of skins to cover his genitals. Before puberty all boys ran around naked.

Shaka rejected this umutsha because he now had attained normal genital development and wanted to show everybody that he was normal, after all the teasing he had been subjected to as a boy. Public protocol eventually forced him to wear at the least an umncedo, which was a woven cup-shaped object that was attached to the end of a man's penis. Although nearly naked, a Zulu man was considered to be acceptably clothed if he wore only this.

He was resented by the older boys because he far surpassed them in all sports and outdoor activities and his burning desire to lead was considered arrogant.

Around about the year 1802, this part of what is now called Zululand experienced a very severe drought referred to as "Madhlatula", which literally means "Eat what you can get and keep quiet". This was in contrast to the Nguni habit of sharing whatever food they had with others. Nandi could no longer provide for her children, so she left with them for Mpapala at the headwaters of the the Amatikulu River, where a man named Gendeyana of the Mbedweni tribe resided. Nandi had previously born him a son named Ngwadi, Shaka's half brother. They stayed there for a while but Shaka was now over fifteen and had no rightful place in this tribe and both the Zulu tribe and the Elangeni tribe were trying to enforce his return to be incorporated in their tribes. Nandi instead chose to go to her Aunt in Mthethwa land.
Both Nandi, Shaka and his sister Nomcoba, were vagrants and had no real social standing, and as such were not well received. Eventually an induna (headman) called Ngomane, son of Mqombolo of the Mdletshe clan treated them with kindness, which Shaka never forgot, and settled them with a man named Mbiya. Mbiya became Shaka's foster father and roll model and for the first time in his life was treated with kindness and respect.

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