KwaZulu-Natal: A brief background 3 - Shaka Zulu, the early years.

petruska13 (56)in #shaka • 7 years ago

Shaka's birth

Shaka kaSenzangakhona also known as Shaka Zulu was born in 1787 in the month of uNtulikazi (July) somewhere near the present day town of Melmoth in KwaZulu-Natal.
His birth was as a result of a liaison between Sezangakhona and Nandi, during sexual foreplay which in the Zulu tradition was permitted. This " fun of the roads" as it was known (foreplay without penetration), got out of hand resulting in the birth of Shaka.

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Nandi and Shaka seek refuge

Chief Senzangakhona, Shaka's father, fell into disrepute because of the illicit love affair and was forced by the Zulu code of honour to marry Nandi, Shaka's mother.
Due to a quarrel the chief expelled Nandi and Shaka from his kraal and as a result they were left destitute and had to fend for themselves. It was a time of drought and the mother and child sought refuge among friends, it was a difficult time and in desperation they moved from kraal to kraal looking for a place to stay.

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This humiliation had an adverse effect upon Shaka, he was belittled by his peers as being an unworthy prince and it is said that he was slow to develop in puberty and this gave his detractors more fuel to add to the fire. He seethed with emotions and it is said that his later cruelty had its beginnings in this period of his life.
Shaka and his mother found refuge with the Mthethwa king, Dingiswayo where Shaka eventually became a general in Dingiswayo's army.

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Sezangakhona died in 1810 and Sigujana, a son from one of his wives called Bibi took over the chieftainship of the clan. It is worth noting that at this time the Zulu clan was only about 1700 strong and bore allegiance to the Mthethwa King Dingiswayo.
During these early years Shaka gained the reputation of being a good general in Dingiswayo's army. He brought many changes to the weapons and tactics, introducing the Iklwa a short stabbing assegai with a two foot shaft and a one foot blade. The name is attributed to the sound it made when pulled from the victim’s body. The Zulu warriors under Shaka's command now carried the short Iklwa and another assegai for throwing. The Iklwa being reserved for close up combat, used very much like the Roman Gladius as a thrusting weapon. He also developed a larger shield with different colours distinguishing different regiments (impi).

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Sezangakhona's death

Upon hearing about his father's death, Shaka was enraged that Sigujana had taken over the leadership of the clan. It must be said that the succession was not automatic and even if he was the eldest son, his father had favoured Sigujana and so the succession was legal in Zulu custom. Shaka appealed to King Dingiswayo to settle the dispute but the wily king was hesitant to intervene.

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Assassination of Sigujana

Knowing he would have to settle the matter himself, Shaka enlisted the aid of Ngwadi, his half-brother. Ngwadi befriended Sigujana and one morning when they went down to the river to wash, Ngwadi and two accomplices finished Sigunyana off with assegai thrusts to the back, thus opening up the way for Shaka's return and settling the question of the chieftainship with a well planned assassination.

The beginning

It must be noted that at this time no written records existed so the time span for this entire operation is unknown. This then can be seen as the beginning of Shaka's reign, all that follows, is as a result of his upbringing, his fanatical zeal and his intelligence. His influence would change the course of Zulu history.