The Zulu Nation
– A Brief History
The Zulu are a
proud tribe native to the KwaZuluNatal province of South Africa. Historically
the Zulu were a mighty warrior nation and are believed to be descendants
of the patriarch Zulu, the son of a Nguni chief in the Congo basin in
central Africa. Apartheid textbooks taught that South Africa was virtually
empty of human habitation when colonised by the Dutch in 1652. The reality
is that the Zulu people began to migrate towards their present location
in Natal during the 16th century.
A crucial turning
point in Zulu history occurred during the reign of Shaka as king of
the Zulu’s from 1816 to 1828. Prior to his rule the Zulu’s consisted
of numerous clans that were related but disorganised. Shaka was a mighty
and fearsome warrior and united the clans into a single powerful tribe.
He introduced a new system of military organisation and revolutionised
his army’s weaponry and military tactics. He introduced new battle formations
that left his enemies outflanked and confused. He was a strict and brutal
disciplinarian, soldiers were required to remain celibate and a violation
of this rule was punishable by death. Shaka increased the power of his
tribe. Conquered clans and tribes were incorporated into the Zulu nation
and in eleven years he increased their number from 1500 people to 50
000 warriors alone.
From the time of
Shaka onwards, the Zulu’s fought many wars to keep from being dominated
by the British settlers. The final Zulu uprising before succumbing to
the British was lead by Chief Bambatha in 1906. From then on the tribe
that had once been master of much of the eastern coastal regions and
interior of South Africa, was subjected to an increasingly harsh series
of racist laws that led to poverty and disempowerment.
THE
ZULU NATION