Zwide kaLanga (1758–1825) was the

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

of the

Ndwandwe The Ndwandwe are a Bantu Nguni-speaking people who populate sections of southern Africa. The Ndwandwe, with the Mthethwa, were a significant power in present-day Zululand at the turn of the nineteenth century. Under the leadership of King Z ...

(Nxumalo) nation from about 1805 to around 1820. He was the son of

Langa KaXaba Langa kaXaba (? – circa 1805) was the King of the Ndwandwe nation. In the Nguni language, "Langa" means "sun" or "day" and "kaXaba" means "son of Xaba". He was the father and predecessor of King Zwide kaLanga, the rival to King Shaka Shaka ...

, a Nxumalo king. Legend has it that Zwide's mother, Queen Ntombazi, was a sangoma. And she infamously collected skulls of kings conquered by Zwide because it made her feel powerful.

Political life

Around the time Zwide became king, the Nxumalo were growing in military power. Ambitious in expanding Nxumalo supremacy, Zwide was a prominent rival to

Dingiswayo Dingiswayo () (c. 1780 – 1817) (born Godongwana) was a Mthethwa king, well known for his mentorship over a young Zulu general, Shaka Zulu, who rose to become the greatest of the Zulu Kings. His father was the Mthethwa king, Jobe kaKayi. ...

, king of the

Mthethwa Mthethwa may refer to: * Mthethwa Paramountcy, a Southern African state that arose in the 18th century south of Delagoa Bay and inland in eastern southern Africa * Nathi Mthethwa Emmanuel Nkosinathi "Nathi" Mthethwa is a South African politician ...

and his famous general and protégé,

Shaka kaSenzangakhona Shaka kaSenzangakhona ( – 22 September 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reforms tha ...

, the founder of the Zulu Kingdom. The Zulu people believe that he is responsible for

mfecane The Mfecane ( isiZulu, Zulu pronunciation: ̩fɛˈkǀaːne, also known by the Sesotho names Difaqane or Lifaqane (all meaning "crushing, scattering, forced dispersal, forced migration") is a historical period of heightened military conflict ...

that is falsely attributed to Shaka. Who, in fact, unified the Zulu-speaking peoples into a formidable

kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

Military actions

Zwide sought to expand his borders, and in 1818 he destroyed the power of the

Kingdom, after he had King Dingiswayo killed. He also had a battle with the young Zulu clan at the

Battle of Gqokli Hill The Battle of Gqokli Hill was a battle that may have occurred on or around April 1818, a part of the Ndwandwe-Zulu war between Shaka of the Zulu nation and Zwide of the Ndwandwe just south of present-day Ulundi ( 28° 22' 23" S 31° 21' 15.77" ...

. He destroyed and overran the neighbouring Khumalo Kingdom and executed their king, Matshobana KaMangete. Mashobana's son and heir

Mzilikazi Mzilikazi Moselekatse, Khumalo ( 1790 – 9 September 1868) was a Southern African king who founded the Mthwakazi Kingdom now known as Matebeleland, in Zimbabwe. His name means "the great river of blood". He was born the son of Mashobane kaMan ...

escaped from the Nxumalo and sought refuge with

Shaka Shaka kaSenzangakhona ( – 22 September 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reforms that ...

, who had reformed the remnant Mthethwa clan under his rule. Knowing this, Zwide planned to destroy the

Zulu Empire The Zulu Kingdom (, ), sometimes referred to as the Zulu Empire or the Kingdom of Zululand, was a monarchy in Southern Africa. During the 1810s, Shaka established a modern standing army that consolidated rival clans and built a large following ...

to secure Ndwandwe domination of Zululand. In 1820, he led his army into battle against the Zulu at the

Battle of Mhlatuze River The Battle of Mhlatuze River was a battle fought between the Zulu and Ndwandwe tribes in 1820 following the Zulu Civil War. The Ndwandwe hierarchy was set asunder by the battle, and largely scattered their population in response. History In 1 ...

. His forces were caught crossing halfway across the Mhlatuze River when the Zulu forces attacked, and the Nxumalo army was scattered. Zwide escaped with a remnant of his clan across the

Pongola River The Phongolo River is a river in South Africa. It is a tributary of the Maputo River. It rises near Utrecht in northern KwaZulu-Natal, flows east through Pongolo, is dammed at Pongolapoort, and crosses the Ubombo Mountains; then it flows north ...

. After Zwide and his clansmen escaped, the Zulu attacked the rest of his people, killing many at Mome Gorge, a desolate place. The Zulu attacked the Ndwandwe capital, Kwa

Nongoma Nongoma is a town in Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is the seat of the Nongoma Local Municipality. It is situated 300 km north of Durban and 56 km from Ulundi; it is surrounded by the Ngome Forest. It is a busy market town ...

. The Zulu victory was predated by Zwide's scattering of the Mfekane tribe which gave the impression that Shaka's victory was the beginning of the

Mfecane The Mfecane ( isiZulu, Zulu pronunciation: ̩fɛˈkǀaːne, also known by the Sesotho names Difaqane or Lifaqane (all meaning "crushing, scattering, forced dispersal, forced migration") is a historical period of heightened military conflict ...

or the scattering. Zwide's generals fled north, where they established their own kingdoms, such as the Shangane Kingdom in Gaza, formed by

Soshangane Soshangana KaZikode (), born Soshangana Nxumalo, was the Founder and the Monarch of the Gaza Empire, which at the height of its power stretched from the Limpopo river in southern Mozambique up to the Zambezi river in the north. Soshangana rul ...

References

1758 births 1825 deaths 19th-century African people Ndwandwe people {{Noble-stub