In the 19th Century the Zulu Kingdom was the most politically sophisticated and militarily powerful force in all of south-eastern Africa, and its stern shadow spread over the entire region.
It was brought to its knees only after a spectacular war with imperial Britain, which still captures the modern imagination with its poignant tale of glory, grandeur, bravery and loss.

King Cetshwayo was King Mpande's eldest son and was born in the Eshowe area around 1832 and from an early age he displayed the dauntless spirit of his uncle, King Shaka.
He distinguished himself as a military commander and a warrior in campaigns against the Swazis and the Tsongas in the 1850s but his father had many sons and his succession to the throne was not guaranteed. A bitter power struggle between the Zulu princes developed and this ended in one of the bloodiest battles ever fought on South African soil.
At Ndondakusuka (near present day Mandini) more than 23 000 people were slaughtered or drowned in the Thukela River as Cetshwayo's army clashed with his brothers supporters. Cetshwayo emerged victorious but five of King Mpande's sons (Cetshwayo's half-brothers) were killed in the battle.
Thereafter Cetshwayo shared power with his father and he later became the uncrowned monarch of Zululand as his father grew more obese and incapacitated.
On Mpande's death in 1872, Cetshwayo was crowned king and swiftly established his military capital at oNdini. His reign was initially peaceful. However, following the discovery of diamonds in Kimberley, British imperial policy makers began devising a confederation scheme to consolidate British interests in South Africa and an independent Zulu kingdom was seen as an obstruction towards this objective.
Anglo-Zulu relations deteriorated rapidly and in December 1878, the British High Commissioner sent King Cetshwayo an ultimatum which effectively called for the dismantling of the Zulu army.
Cetshwayo ignored the demands and a month later the British Army invaded Zululand with three columns of troops.
On 22 January 1879 Zulu forces gained a resounding victory at the Battle of Isandlwana. However, at Rorke's Drift later that same day, a few isolated men who had resigned themselves to defeat and likely death faced a Zulu attack of 4 000 warriors and fought desperately for 12 hours until the Zulu army withdrew in the early hours of the morning.
Queen Victoria awarded 11 Victoria Crosses to the valiant defenders of Rorke's Drift - the largest number ever awarded for a single engagement.
After the battles of Khambula (March 29) and Gingindlovu (2 April) Cetshwayo gave up hope of a military solution, but his attempts to negotiate a peace deal were rebuffed.
On 4 July 1879 the Zulu army was defeated at Ulundi. King Cetshwayo was captured in the Ngome Forest eight weeks later and sent into exile in the Cape.
He returned to Zululand in 1883 but with his powers severely curbed and the Zulu nation on the brink of civil war. His new headquarters at oNdini was attacked by Zulu opposition forces and he was forced to take refuge in Nkandla Forest. He was later placed under the protection of the British Resident at Eshowe where he died unexpectedly after eating a meal. The exact cause of his death was never ascertained. He was buried in the valley below Nkandla Forest.
Cetshwayo was passionately interested in the laws, customs and history of his people and since he possessed a very retentive memory, he became a walking repository of Zulu lore.
When sitting in judgement he did his best to reconcile disputes and to try cases justly, and usually condemned people to death only after considerable deliberation. On the other hand, he could be autocratic, headstrong and obstinate.
When he was in a fury none dared oppose him.
Nomguqo Paulina Dlamini was a teenage servant in King Cetshwayo's Royal Enclosure and years later recorded how two young women were summarily executed for failing to cook a meal for two men building the rectangular house which was a unique feature of oNdini. In her memoirs she used the Zulu expression for the execution of women which translates as "that they may marry the bearded man at the Nkatha, after having bled".
The place of execution was at Nkatha, a flat bushy place on the banks of the White Umfolozi River - in the present Opathe Game Park. The normal methods of execution were either by twisting the victim's neck, or stangulation or by braining with a heavy object.