An unwanted and illegitimate child became a powerful king who did not inherit the throne but fought for it. As the illegitimate child of the chief of the Zulu's he had no rights to be a chief, even though his father promised him this honor. Let us start at the beginning.
Nandi was to become one of the Zulu chief's wives but before the event, she fell pregnant which was an embarrassment to the chief. The chief feebly excused the pregnancy by saying that the growth in her stomach was an intestinal beetle. (Shaka is the Zulu word for the beetle) Being an unwed mother in any tribe was a disgrace and unacceptable by the tribe.
Her son received the name Shaka, after all he was the intestinal beetle. The Zulu clan tolerated the two until Shaka allowed a dog to kill one of the chief's sheep. Shaka was only six at the time but it gave the chief a reason to eliminate his embarrassment and the two found themselves banished to Nandi's tribe. They moved from clan to clan trying to find a safe haven but in each clan, they found cruel and harsh treatment. Eventually the Mtetwa tribe grudgingly accepted them.
Shaka hated the hardships his mother and him had to endure but it taught him to be brave with a strong will to survive and his ultimate goal was to find a way to make his mother's life comfortable. The young man showed extraordinary courage and strength in his task herding the sheep. He killed a leopard single handedly using two throwing spears and a club.
This story spread like wild fire and soon his father heard about his illegitimate son's courage but this still did not help to appease the embarrassment he felt about his illegitimate child so he kept a watch from a distance. When Shaka turned 21, he turned into a soldier fighting under the leadership of the Mtetwa chieftain Dingiswayo. The young man proved to be a valuable asset on the battlefields, introducing changes in battle methods that were to be a great success.
Under the protection of his chief Dingiswayo, Shaka became a rich and important man. Shaka's father came to pay homage to Dingiswayo and learned that his son had become a great man. At last, his embarrassment turned to pride and he promised Shaka the chieftainship of the Zulu clan after his death. A promise he could not keep because his legal wives would not accept such a blatant disregard for their husband's legal sons. Their jealousy and determination became their downfall. When Shaka's father died, his young, half brother became chief of the Zulu tribe. A promise broken, Shaka was furious.
During a bloody battle, Shaka murdered his half brother and took the chieftainship. Not only did he take his fathers place as chief, he dressed up in his battle costume and became the King of the Zulu's with his Mtetwa regiment by his side. The Zulu's were about to become a force to be reckoned with. Shaka first built a powerful new kraal named the Bulawayo (the place of killing). Inside the kraal, he built a luxurious royal kraal for his mother. When this was completed, he held a great feast to celebrate the new kraal and his kingdom.
His next step was to take revenge on his mother's clan who treated them so badly during there stay there. His victory was so complete he gained a new hunger for battle. He introduced new battle strategies and weapons and his training was strict and cruel. He would not tolerate any disobedience, immediately killing anyone for the slightest disobedience to his rules or orders. The harsh training made his army strong and a forceful. The king's rule grew stronger with each victory because every clan he conquered he assimilated into his army. The little abused and ridiculed child turned into a proud and powerful young man. Under his rule, the Zulu's became a powerful nation ruling over vast lands, both on the coastal regions and inland areas.
When the British arrived at Port Alfred, Shaka invited two of their commanders to his kraal. The king of the Zulus entertained them with a display of his power and gained their utmost respect. They realized that the Zulu's were a force to be feared and respected. The two commanders presented gifts of brass bars, beads and blankets to Shaka who, in return, granted the British full possession of Port Natal. Shaka continued to rule his army with a strict hand introducing successful strategies and weapons and making sure that his men were up to any challenge they had to face. King Shaka became a fair and powerful king who may have been ruthless with his men and anyone who crossed him, but gave them pride and the knowledge to win any battle that came their way.
Although Shaka was a powerful and intelligent king, he was emotionally disturbed by his past. Nandi, Shaka's mother, stood by her son's side advising and helping him becoming his emotional anchor. The hardships they experienced together when he was a young boy bore a deep love for each other. One of Shaka's obsessive fears was having a son. He believed that a son would grow up into a man and turn against him.
Trouble began when Nandi died. He imposed a year of celibacy on his people and executed anyone who did not show enough grief at the death of his mother. He was so involved with the death of his mother and forcing the respect he deemed fit for her, he did not realize that his own family was hatching a plot to destroy him. Within a year after Nandi's death, his half-brothers Dingaan and Mhlangana stabbed him to death with their spears. Dingaan took the throne after Shaka's burial. The great kingdom of the Zulus died with Shaka.
King Shaka has gone down in history as the greatest king of the Zulu's. Even though his methods may have been harsh and usually depicted as a violent bloodthirsty king, he brought pride and power to his people. He will always hold a place in the history of the Zulu nation and South Africa.
