The uSuthu were the royalist faction in Zululand, more specifically they were the followers of Cetshwayo. The young Zulu warriors who clustered around prince Cetshwayo in 1856 during the Second Zulu Civil War formed the core of the uSuthu. [1] Their name came from the Zulu war cry usuthu. [2]
After Cetshwayo was deposed by the British in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, the First Partition of Zululand resulted in thirteen separate chiefdoms, none of which were ruled by Cetshwayo, the former and subsequent Zulu king. The uSuthu resented this "divide and conquer" strategy of the British, and sought to re-establish the monarchy, resulting in the Third Zulu Civil War of 1883–1884 (Mandlakazi-uSuthu Conflict), [3] [4] and the uSuthu Rebellion of 1888. [5]
The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the British North America Act of 1867 for the federation in Canada, by Lord Carnarvon, it was thought that similar political effort, coupled with military campaigns, might succeed with the African Kingdoms, tribal areas and Boer republics in South Africa. In 1874, Sir Bartle Frere was sent to South Africa as High Commissioner for the British Empire to effect such plans. Among the obstacles were the armed independent states of the South African Republic and the Kingdom of Zululand.
Cetshwayo kaMpande was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1873 to 1879 and its leader during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. His name has been transliterated as Cetawayo, Cetewayo, Cetywajo and Ketchwayo. Cetshwayo consistently opposed the war and sought fruitlessly to make peace with the British, and was defeated and exiled following the Zulu defeat in the war. He was later allowed to return to Zululand, where he died in 1884.
Zibhebhu kaMaphitha Zulu (1841–1904) was a Zulu chief. After the defeat of the Zulu Kingdom by the British, he attempted to create his own independent kingdom. From 1883 to 1884, he fought the Zulu king Cetshwayo, inflicting a series of defeats on him.
Nongoma is a town in Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is the seat of the Nongoma Local Municipality. It is situated 300 km north of Durban and 56 km from Ulundi; it is surrounded by the Ngome Forest. It is a busy market town that serves a large surrounding area. It is assigned registration plate NND.
The Battle of Kambula took place on 29 March 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War, when a Zulu military force attacked the British camp at Kambula, having routed the mounted element of the British force at the Battle of Hlobane the day before. The battle was a decisive Zulu defeat and the Zulu warriors lost their belief in victory. The war ended after the Zulu defeat at the Battle of Ulundi on 4 July 1879.
Ntshingwayo kaMahole of the Khoza was the commanding general (inDuna) of King Cetshwayo's Zulu Army during the first Anglo-Zulu War. He became known as Ntshingwayo kaMahole after being taken into foster care by Mahole of the Xhosa.
The Siege of Eshowe took place during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. The siege was part of a three-pronged attack on the Zulu Impis of king Cetshwayo at Ulundi. After an incursion as far as Eshowe Colonel Charles Pearson was besieged there for two months by the Zulus.
The Battle of Hlobane took place at Hlobane, near the modern town of Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa during the Anglo-Zulu War.
The Battle of Ulundi took place at the Zulu capital of Ulundi (Zulu:oNdini) on 4 July 1879 and was the last major battle of the Anglo-Zulu War. The British army broke the military power of the Zulu nation by defeating the main Zulu army and immediately afterwards capturing and burning the royal kraal of oNdini.
The Battle of Gingindlovu (uMgungundlovu) was fought on 2 April 1879 between a British relief column sent to break the Siege of Eshowe and a Zulu impi of King Cetshwayo.
Sigananda kaZokufa was a Zulu aristocrat whose life spanned the reigns of four Zulu kings in southeastern Africa. According to oral history, Sigananda's grandfather was chief Mvakela, who married a sister of Nandi, King Shaka's mother, and that his father was Inkosi Zokufa. He also said he had a son called Ndabaningi.
Dabulamanzi kaMpande was a Zulu commander for the Zulu kingdom in the Anglo-Zulu War. He is most noted for having commanded the Zulus at the Battle of Rorke's Drift. He was a half-brother of the Zulu king Cetshwayo kaMpande.
The Battle of Ndondakusuka was the culmination of a succession struggle in the Zulu Kingdom between Cetshwayo and Mbuyazi, the two eldest sons of the king Mpande, often known as the Second Zulu Civil War. Mbuyazi was defeated at the battle and was killed, leaving Cetshwayo in de facto control of the kingdom, though his father remained king. Mbuyazi's followers were massacred in the aftermath of the battle, including five other sons of King Mpande.
The Battle of Maqongqo was fought on 29 January 1840 during the First Zulu Civil War. Due to military defeats, the Zulu king Dingane had lost the respect of a significant portion of the Zulu people. His brother Mpande sought to separate his followers from Dingane and drew support from an alliance with Boer settlers led by Andries Pretorius.
The Natal Border Guard was an auxiliary force levied for the defence of the Colony of Natal during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. British military commander Lord Chelmsford had intended to raise a large auxiliary force to support his invasion of the Zulu Kingdom but was opposed by the civilian government of the Colony of Natal, led by its governor Henry Ernest Gascoyne Bulwer, who would have to finance the unit. Bulwer eventually allowed a smaller force to be raised with the stipulation that it not be deployed outside of Natal. This unit was to serve only on a part-time basis, receive no training and fight with the traditional weapons of spear and shield.
The abaQulusi or Qulusi are a zulu tribe from South Africa. They are based in the abaqulusi district, Kwazulu-Natal, that bears their name.
uHamu kaNzibe or Hamu kaNzibe was a Zulu chieftain, half-brother and great rival of king Cetshwayo.
Ian Knight is a British historian and writer, specialising in Anglo-Zulu and Boers wars.
John Paul Clow Laband is a South African historian and writer, specialising in Anglo-Zulu and Boers wars. He has taught at universities in South Africa, England and Canada. In particular he has been Professor of History at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada, and a Research Associate of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Sihayo kaXongo was a Zulu inKosi (chief). In some contemporary British documents he is referred to as Sirhayo or Sirayo. He was an inDuna (commander) of the iNdabakawombe iButho and supported Cetshwayo in the 1856 Zulu Civil War. Under Cetshwayo, Sihayo was a chief of a key territory on the border with the British Colony of Natal and had a seat on the iBandla. Sihayo was an Anglophile who wore European clothes and maintained friendly relations with trader James Rorke who lived nearby at Rorke's Drift. By 1864, Sihayo was head of the Qungebe tribe and that year agreed a new western border of the kingdom with Boer leader Marthinus Wessel Pretorius.