General
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Did You Know
South Africa boasts:
- well-organised road and transport infrastructure connecting the entire country
- A substantially inclusive communication infrastructure provided by 5 network operators: MTN, Vodacom, Rain, Telkom and Cell C. Download speeds of up to 27mbps
- Large amount of statistical and business information available online. http://www.statssa.gov.za/
- Many multi-nationals operating in Africa opt to head-quarter their businesses here.
Some South African [Black] History
Much of Africa’s history often gets swept under the carpet. The truth is that proud, sophisticated and organised empires existed on this continent long before the arrival of colonising raid-parties. One example of such an empire was the Zulu empire. One, therefore, can’t talk about South Africa, from a black-African perspective without the mention of the Zulu kingdom in general and Shaka Zulu in particular.
Shaka Zulu
Shaka kaSenzangakhona (c. 1787 – 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu, was the leader of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. He was one of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu Kingdom.
Kwa-Bulawayo (prefixed according to context with ‘gu-‘ or ‘kwa-‘) was the royal kraal of Shaka Zulu, and as such was the capital of the early Zulu empire. It was founded after Shaka’s conquest of the Ndwandwe kingdom, in around 1820. (The kraal is not to be confused with the city in Zimbabwe. It was founded and possibly named after it in the 19th century by Matabele king Lobengula, son of Shaka’s former lieutenant Mzilikazi.)
As Shaka became more respected by his people, he was able to spread his ideas with greater ease. Because of his background as a soldier, Shaka taught the Zulus that the most effective way of becoming powerful quickly was by conquering and controlling other tribes. His teachings greatly influenced the social outlook of the Zulu people. The Zulu tribe soon developed a warrior outlook, which Shaka turned to his advantage.[citation needed]
Shaka’s hegemony was primarily based on military might, smashing rivals and incorporating scattered remnants into his own army. He supplemented this with a mixture of diplomacy and patronage, incorporating friendly chieftains, including Zihlandlo of the Mkhize, Jobe of the Sithole, and Mathubane of the Thuli. These peoples were never defeated in battle by the Zulu; they did not have to be. Shaka won them over by subtler tactics, such as patronage and reward. As for the ruling Qwabe, they began re-inventing their genealogies to give the impression that Qwabe and Zulu were closely related in the past. In this way, a greater sense of cohesion was created, though it never became complete, as subsequent civil wars attest.
Shaka still recognised Dingiswayo and his larger Mthethwa clan as overlord after he returned to the Zulu but, some years later, Dingiswayo was ambushed by Zwide’s amaNdwandwe and killed. There is no evidence to suggest that Shaka betrayed Dingiswayo. Indeed, the core Zulu had to retreat before several Ndwandwe incursions; the Ndwandwe was clearly the most aggressive grouping in the sub-region.[citation needed]
Shaka was able to form an alliance with the leaderless Mthethwa clan and was able to establish himself amongst the Qwabe, after Phakathwayo was overthrown with relative ease. With Qwabe, Hlubi and Mkhize support, Shaka was finally able to summon a force capable of resisting the Ndwandwe (of the Nxumalo clan). Historian Donald Morris states that Shaka’s first major battle against Zwide, of the Ndwandwe, was the Battle of Gqokli Hill, on the Mfolozi river. Shaka’s troops maintained a strong position on the crest of the hill. A frontal assault by their opponents failed to dislodge them, and Shaka sealed the victory by sending his reserve forces in a sweep around the hill to attack the enemy’s rear. Losses were high overall but the efficiency of the new Shakan innovations was proved. It is probable that, over time, the Zulu were able to hone and improve their encirclement tactics.
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