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Browsing History by Author "Khoza, Sekwenele Happiness"

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    The relations between Zulu King Cetshwayo and the British Authority at Port Natal 1872-1882
    (University of Zululand, 2021) Khoza, Sekwenele Happiness
    British High Commissioner in South Africa, Sir Bartle Frere (1877-80), said the history of the Zulu King Cetshwayo ka Mpande (1872-9) was ' written in characters of blood.’ He described the Zulu king as an "irresponsible, bloodthirsty despot, bloodthirsty and aggressive despot, ignorant and bloodthirsty despot" and as a "ruthless savage". He referred to his grinding despotism, his faithless, cruel character, atrocious barbarities, power of murder and plunder, murders and massacres and his cruelty and treachery. He alluded that King Cetshwayo's aim was to emulate the sanguinary fame of his uncle Chaka (Shaka), in shedding blood, to resume the most sanguinary of his predecessors' practices and to break loose from all restraint and to re- establish the regime of Chaka's unmitigated barbarism. This study sought to examine, in more systematic detail than what has been done in recent times, the evidence for and against the contemporary charge that King Cetshwayo was a cruel tyrant and his relations with the British authorities culminating in the 1879 conflict. Moreover, Sir Bartle Frere had a strong interest in discrediting King Cetshwayo, and this in itself should lead one to treat his allegations with great caution. Frere was a distinguished former Indian civil servant selected by the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Lord Carnarvon, to carry out his scheme of South African confederation. With the wisdom of hindsight, it could be argued that this was a hopeless task, but Frere was determined to succeed, and obstacles only made him more determined. He soon decided that the Zulu kingdom was the main obstacle to success. An independent African kingdom in which the young men were required to serve the king in a military capacity and were not permitted to work for wages for white employers was entirely incompatible with the confederated state which Frere was endeavouring to construct. This and other findings within the search of literature led the research to investigate the phenomenon under investigation. Using Conflict and Great man theory, the study will look at the Zulu Kingdom under King Cesthwayo leading to the war of 1879. A qualitative research approach was adopted and the study relied on secondary sources. Interviews and archival sources were primary tools. The study finds that both the British and Zulus had responsibility in the eminent war of 1879.It brings forward that the British invaded Zululand.
University of Zululand