The Zulu Civil War
At the end of the Anglo Zulu war of 1879 the British government decided to divide the Zulu Kingdom into 13 Regions and to govern each of them they placed Zulu Chiefs (amakhosi) who had shown some form of loyalty to them during the Anglo-Zulu War. King Cetshwayo by this time had been incarcerated in the Castle in Cape Town. Many of these amakhosi were of course not the traditional ones of the areas they now governed and discontent began to grow. One of these so-called “kinglets” who was appointed was Chief Zibhebhu kaMapitha, Chief of the Mandlakazi community and before long he began to exercise authority over neighbouring communities. Matters came to a head when the authorities granted Cetshwayo permission to return to his capital, Ondini 3 (near his former capital Ondini 2).
This resulted in several major clashes taking place between the Usuthu and the Mandlakazi, culminating in an attack by the latter on Ondini 3. Cetshwayo barely escaped with his life but sought sanctuary with the Shezi community before being resettled in Eshowe by the British Resident in Zululand, Sir Melmoth Osborn.
Cetshwayo’s son Prince Dinuzulu enlisted the assistance of the Boers led by General Louis Botha and General Lucas Meyer and after fighting a desperate battle at eTshaneni (the Ghost Mountain) near Mkhuze on the 5th June 1884, the might of the Mandlakazi was broken.
Nonetheless, discontent continued to simmer and eventually Zululand was annexed to Natal in 1887. The partition of Zululand by the British is still one of the major causes of conflict in the Zulu Kingdom.
Battlefields and Historical Sites
King Cetshwayo’s Grave
After his defeat by Zibhebhu kaMapitha at the Battle of Ondini on 21st July 1883 Cetshwayo fled and was later offered the protection of the British Resident, Sir Melmoth Osborne at Eshowe where he died on 8th February 1884. The…
Battle of Tshaneni
5 June 1884 A major battle of the war where the uSuthu, supported by the Boers under Lukas Meyer, defeated Chief Zibhebhu and the Mandlakazi. Views: 0
Battle of Ondini
At the beginning of 1883, Cetshwayo returned to Zululand, rebuilding his Ondini home close by the previous one. The King’s return saw the entire region in a state of chaos, but because he had been stripped of his powers, he…