Shaka Zulu

Probably the most famous tribal leader in the history of the continent of Africa was the great King of the Zulu nation, Shaka. We had a pretty extensive history lesson the night we saw the play The Zulu at the Market Theatre in Joburg a couple of months ago. Mbongeni Ngema did an incredible job of bringing not only Shaka to life on the stage, but also the other important Zulu leaders such as Shaka's brothers Dingane and Mpande.

the buffalo horn formation

We learned that after his ruler father died, Shaka declared himself King of the Zulus, pushing aside his half-brothers, who may or may not have had a stronger claim to the throne, in the process. On the plus side, Shaka was a great King, creating a single Zulu nation out of the far-flung and feuding tribes and kingdoms in Zululand. He was also a brilliant military strategist and he invented the highly successful battle maneuver of the cape buffalo horns to defeat his enemies. He also designed some of the successful weapons the Zulus used in battle.

Shaka's Memorial and Assassination Rock

But on the down side, he was also something of a Mama's boy and when his mother Nandi died, he went half crazy taking it out on his own people with draconian measures. That and the fact that he had been duped by the British into foolishly giving away the rights to land in Zulu-controlled Natal proved to be too much for the brothers to take. Don't forget Dingane and Mpande were still holding a grudge because they felt they had a higher claim to the kingship in the first place. So it didn't take much to provoke them. They lured Shaka to a rock in what is now the center of the town of Stanger and they murdered him on it.

Shaka had the last laugh though as his prediction for Dingane's demise would prove true when Dingane was defeated by the Voortrekkers at the Battle of Blood River on that fateful day in December.




We took a little Shaka driving tour and visited some of these important places along the King Shaka Route. We drove past the site of Dingane's kraal, a massive valley where the warriors encamped before the Battle of Blood River.

We stopped in at the Shaka Visitor Center in Stanger where there is a memorial to Shaka as well as the rock where he was assassinated by his brothers. There is also an informative display and short movie which hits the highlights of Shaka's life.

the set of Shaka Zulu

And we visited Shakaland near Eshowe. Shakaland is a unique resort built on the actual set of the 1960's television series Shaka Zulu. The set was left completely intact after filming and is now sort of a cultural open air museum.

Vince dines like Shaka

Managed by the well-respected Protea Hotel group, you can take a tour of the sets, spend the night in a traditional Zulu beehive hut equipped with a private en-suite bathroom and shower, be entertained by the descendents of Zulu warriors, drink Bantu beer from calabash gourds, and dine like Shaka on a great Zulu Shisa Nyama feast.

I know how it sounds, but it actually was not hokey at all. In fact, I think it would be a cool place to stay someday. So there.