Shaka kaSenzangakhona (c. 1787 – c. 24 September 1828), also known as Shaka[a] Zulu (Zulu pronunciation: [ˈʃaːɠa]), was one of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu Kingdom. He is widely credited with uniting many of the Northern Nguni people, specifically the Mthethwa Paramountcy and the Ndwandwe into the Zulu Kingdom, the beginnings of a nation that held sway over the portion of southern Africa between the Phongolo and Mzimkhulu Rivers, and his statesmanship and vigour marked him as one of the most prominent Zulu kings.[2] He has been called a military genius for his reforms and innovations, and condemned for the brutality of his reign.[3][4]:17–19 Other historians debate about Shaka's role as a unifier, versus a usurper of traditional Zulu ruling prerogatives, and the notion of the Zulu state as a unique construction, divorced from the localised culture and the previous systems built by his predecessor Dingiswayo.[5] Research continues into the character and methods of this Zulu warrior king, whose reign continues to influence South African culture. Shaka was the illegitimate first son of the chieftain Senzangakhona kaJama and Nandi, a daughter of Bhebhe, the past chief of the Elangeni tribe. He was born near present day Melmoth, KwaZulu-Natal Province. According to tradition, Shaka was conceived during an act of what began as ukuhlobonga, a form of sexual foreplay without penetration allowed to unmarried couples, also known as "the fun of the roads" (ama hlay endlela), during which the lovers were "carried away".[6]:11 Due to persecution as a result of his illegitimacy, Shaka spent his childhood in his mother's settlements. He is recorded as having been initiated there and inducted into an ibutho lempi (fighting unit). In his early days, Shaka served as a warrior under the sway of Dingiswayo,[7] chieftain of the Mthethwa, to whom the Zulu were then paying tribute.[citation needed] Dingiswayo called up the emDlatsheni iNtanga (age-group), of which Shaka was part, and incorporated it into the Izichwe regiment. Shaka served as a Mthethwa warrior for perhaps as long as ten years, and distinguished himself with his courage and his adept skill as a close combat warrior. This skill gained the attention of Dingiswayo, who became even more interested in Shaka when he discovered Shaka's royal bloodline. He honoured Shaka by making him commander of a regiment or ibutho. The ibutho was an age-based labour gang (cohort) that included some more refined military activities, although by no means exclusively. Most battles before this time were to settle disputes, and while the appearance of ibutho lempi dramatically changed warfare at times, it largely remained an instrument for seasonal raiding and political persuasion rather than outright slaughter.[clarification needed] Shaka began to further refine the ibutho system used by Dingiswayo and others and, with Mthethwa's support over the next several years, forged alliances with his smaller neighbours, to counter the growing threat from Ndwandwe raids from the north. The initial Zulu manoeuvres were primarily defensive in nature, as Shaka preferred to intervene or apply pressure diplomatically, aided by occasional judicious assassinations. His changes to local society built on existing structures. Although he preferred social and propagandistic political methods, he also engaged in a number of battles, as the Zulu sources make clear.[4]:17–69 When Senzangakhona (Shaka's father) died in 1816 Shaka's younger half-brother Sigujana assumed power as the legitimate heir to the Zulu chiefdom. Sigujana's reign was short however as Shaka, with the help of Dingiswayo and his half brother Ngwidi, had Sigujana assassinated[clarification needed] in a coup that was relatively bloodless and accepted by the Zulu. Thus Shaka became Chief of the Zulu clan, although he remained a vassal of the Mthethwa empire[8] until Dingiswayo's death in battle a year later at the hands of Zwide, powerful chief of the Ndwandwe (Nxumalo) nation. When the Mthethwa forces were defeated and scattered temporarily, the power vacuum was filled by Shaka. He reformed the remnants of the Mthwethwe and other regional tribes and later defeated Zwide in the Zulu Civil War of 1819-20. When Dingiswayo was murdered by Zwide, Shaka sought to avenge his death.

• published: 07 Jun 2015
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