Tuesday 22 October 2013

The Zulu People South Africa’s History

When it comes to numbers, the Zulu tribe (locally referred to as amaZulu) dominates the South African region, with a few residing in Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Their language is simply referred to as Zulu and they were classified as third class citizens. Throughout the 19th to 20th century, their kingdom played a significant role in Southern Africa’s rich culture and history. Within the era where Apartheid was still practiced, they suffered most from discriminations among their race. Now, they share equal rights among other people within the continent and see more information related South African Tribes.

Formerly part of a much larger clan within the Northern KwaZulu-Natal, the Zulu kingdom was established in 1816 under the reign of the king Shaka. He started out his venture in uniting confederated tribes. This paved the way in which for the Zulu hegemony to dramatically grow in dimensions.

History: The AmaZulu believe that they're the direct descendants of the patriarch Zulu, who was born to some Nguni chief in the Congo Basin area. In the 16th century the Zulu migrated southward to their present location, incorporating a lot of the customs of the San, including the well-known linguistic clicking sounds from the region.

During the reign of King Shaka (1816-1828), the Zulu became the mightiest military force in southern Africa, increasing their land holdings from 100 square miles to 11,500. Shaka was followed by Dingaan, who tentatively entered into treaties with English colonizers. Mpande was the following King. He allowed the British extensive control over his peoples. Through the time he died in 1872, the Zulu had enough from the English invasion. Cetewayo, Mpande's replacement, tried vainly for six years to avoid a confrontation using the British, yet in 1879 war erupted.

Even though the Zulu initially experienced some success, the British army eventually prevailed. In under six months, Cetewayo was exiled to England, and also the Zulu kingdom was divided to the British advantage. The last Zulu uprising against European domination was lead by Chief Bombatha in 1906. In recent times, Chief Gastha Buthelezi has doubled because the political leader of the Zulu, and the head of the Inkatha Freedom Party, leading the fight against Apartheid and also the ANC, demanding a voice for his those who are more than three million strong.