SHAKA SIGIDI KASENZANGAKHONA- THE ZULU
Did you know that Shaka the Zulu terrorized his subjects for over a year to mourn his mother? Did you know that he killed cows and left young calves so that they know how it feels to lose a mother? He did.
1. HE WAS AN ILLEGITIMATE CHILD
His name was Shaka Sigidi KaSenzangakhona. He was the
son of Chief Senzangakhona, who was the ruler of a small insignificant chiefdom
of Zulu, and an orphaned girl named Nandi, the daughter of a Langeni chief. Shaka was born out of wedlock. One source says the clans of the parents were
related therefore they could not marry another source says that he was born before
the parents were traditionally married but, all the same Nandi became Senzangakhana’s
third wife. Some theories say his father rejected him others say their marriage
broke the Zulu rules because their clans were related. Whatever the view he was an illegitimate
child.
Senzangakhona was not a young man when he met
Nandi. He was already married to two wives. Nandi was already an orphan and probably
young and naïve given the requirements of the African culture on young girls. She could be one of the many girls who were
taken advantage of. If he was able to
marry and stay with her for six years it was because he was guilty of
something. There is no way he would have
failed to know that Nandi’s clan was related to his and if Nandi gave birth
before marriage it is because he had a relationship with her before marrying
her. It is recorded that Nandi gave
birth at her uncle's homestead but Senzangakhona married her as a third
wife. It is possible the other wives had
no male child at that time, and Nandi gave birth to one so she had to be taken
as a wife. Being the youngest wife and
with a baby boy the chief must have spoilt and showered her with love, making the other women jealous and when they
had their sons they fought back for what they rightfully felt was their
children’s inheritance. The firstborn
son inherits the father's throne. It is also possible Nandi was very young and therefore
prone to abuse and once married the other two women may have ganged against her
and made her life miserable to appoint that she felt it was better to leave
than stay married.
At six years of age, the parents separated and his mother moved back to her maternal home. His mother was an orphan and his uncles despised his mother and eventually chased her away from the Langeni clan, a place she called home. In Langeni Shaka had lived a fatherless life with no doubt the same stigma the mother faced, trickled down to him. He was constantly humiliated and cruelly treated by boys while at Langeni. At six years, a child can know what is happening around them. Shaka must have seen the pain his mother went through. He absorbed and endured all the humiliation and bullying with a goal in mind. He knew he was destined to be a chief because he was the son of a chief and he openly talked about it which made other children taunt him even more.
3. HE FACED STIGMATIZATION, HUMILIATION, AND BULLYING WHILE GROWING UP
Once married it is shameful to return home, especially
with a boy child because eventually he would want some inheritance. Nandi had no one to rely on. She hoped going home to her family would make
things easier but it turned out to also be as bad or even worse than what she
left behind.
When the mistreatment and stigmatization became too
much Nandi found shelter in the Dletsheni subclan of the Mthethwa clan under Senior
Chief Dingiswayo. They were warmly
welcomed according to historical sources because one of Nandi’s auntie was
married here. It is possible she was
married in Dingiswayo’s homestead. Here again, Shaka went through the bullying
and humiliation largely because he made claims of being an heir to a
chieftaincy.
He was tall, powerfully built, and daring which gave him naturally placed him well above the other youths. At 23 he was drafted to join the military as part of the Dlesheni age set under chief Dingiswayo. He met people who could relate to him, he had a platform where he could show his natural talent and courage as well as an opportunity to fuel his thirst for power. He proved to be a brilliant fighter and won the heart of Dingiswayo.
I believe Dingiswayo knew who Nandi was and who Shaka was. He saw a future in Shaka. He was sure he was Chief Senzangakhona’s son and from the onset, he welcomed mother and son well. He saw in Shaka a way of bringing the Zulu clan under him. Even though Shaka was well built and possessed the traits of a warrior naturally, Dingiswayo paid special attention to him and gave him the best training in preparation for the day he would send him marching to claim his throne. When the time came he allowed him to go back home- a dejected son becomes the heir. I can only imagine the happiness in the young man’s heart when he walked with his warriors into a clan that he left years back with pain and sorrow. Those who sent him packing must have trembled because his fame preceded him.
5. HE BECAME CHIEF AND RULED FOR ONLY 10 YEARS 1816 TO 1828
In 1816 his
father died and Chief Dingiswayo sent him to take over the leadership of the
Zulu. What is meant to be yours will
always come back to you. So, Shaka began his reign in 1816 and it was nothing
short of a reign of terror to everyone whether you hurt him or not but those
who specifically hurt him bore the brant.
What were his achievements and failure?
6. SUCCESSES
- When he took over the leadership the Zulu kingdom had a population of about 1500 and more than 800 Bantu clans. Within a short time, both the population and army tripled.
- He reorganized the army and introduced the short stabbing spear - assegais which allowed warriors to attack at close range.
- Instituted regiment system based on age groups, quartered at separate kraals (villages), with distinct uniform markings and a variation of headdresses and ornaments
- He divided his regiment (impi) into four during the battle. The strongest unit “chest” pinned the enemy down while the two others “horns” circled and attacked from behind and a reserve “loins” waited nearby to reinforce any arm that was overpowered.
- As the impis moved on the expansion and extermination exercise, they were fed food from kraals along the path and they had young boys carrying their sleeping mats and cooking pots.
- All the conquered clans including his uncle's clans the Lengeni were incorporated into the now larger Zulu clan
- From the onset, he ruled with an iron fist any opposition meant instant death.
- Fought for extermination
- By 1823 the region was underpopulated with ruins of smoking kraals and terrified survivors
- His expansion efforts left over two million people dead
When he lost his mother he went rog killing over 7000
people. Women found to be pregnant were killed together with their husbands, he killed milked cows and left the calves
motherless so that they too feel the pain of losing a mother. For a year there
was no planting of food or milking. Death is not easy especially someone you
have idolized dies. The death of Shaka’s mother hit him hard. He was still a young man, he had been on the
throne for less than ten years, she was probably the only person he shared his
most difficult times with, in her absence he felt left alone. His action when his mother died in 1827
killed him. Forcing people to mourn for
a whole year, no working, no planting, no milking was not wise. Life does not stop when someone dies. It is then who dies not everyone else.
9. THE WAS KILLED BY HIS HALF BROTHERS
In 1828 he sent his impis for an invasion and when
they returned instead of giving them rest he immediately sent them for another
on which his half brothers and an induna murdered him.
10. HE NEVER MARRIED
Shaka never married signifying that what he went through when he was sent away from his father's homestead as an illegitimate child affected him. the bullying, stigmatization, and people failing to believe in him when he said he was a chief's son added salt to the injury. He was afraid of having
illegitimate sons and daughters. He had
women who had got pregnant by him killed.
That is how much the pain from childhood hurt him. The pain of being dejected and humiliated. He
did not want that for anyone called his child.
CONCLUSION
