Dingaan

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Dingane kaSenzangakhona Zulu (ca. 1795-1840) was a Zulu chief who became king in 1828.

He came to power after assassinating his half-brother Shaka with the help of another brother, Umthlangana, as well as Shaka's advisor Mbopa, where the modern-day town of Stanger is located, as the brutality of Shaka increased after the death of his mother Nandi.

Even though history today might judge Dingaan as the king responsible for the fall of the Zulu military superiority in southern Africa at the time, Dingaan was, to a great extent, a popular leader who came into power at the wrong time. Even under Shaka--had he not been murdered--the fall of the kingdom would most likely have been inevitable. Vast numbers of Europeans made their way northward from the Cape Colony with weaponry far superior to that of the Zulu spear. Fighting the Europeans at the time would have been fighting a war that they would never win, as the Xhosa found out in the South.

Many historians disagree that Dingaan came into power at a critical moment in history -- he was blamed for mistakes that can be traced back as far as his great predecessor king Shaka. Had Shaka not awarded so much power to Theophilus Shepstone, who was later peceived as 'Shaka' by the Zulu society after Shaka's death, things would have turned out differently. By concluding that 'white men were superior,' Shaka was passing the next king a poisoned chalice; therefore the demise of the kingdom was inevitable, and Dingaan was the unfortunate king who was in power at that moment.

Dingaan lacked Shaka's military and leadership skills, and the cracks in the kingdom began to show as rebel chiefs broke away. These cracks were exacerbated by armed conflict with the newly arrived Voortrekkers.

In November of 1837 he met with Piet Retief and, in return for their recovering some stolen cattle, signed a deed of cession of lands (written in English) to the Voortrekkers. Two days of feasting later, on 6 February 1838, he killed Retief's diplomatic party. At the same time, his forces ambushed and killed Retief's trek party, about 500 Boers, including men, women, and children, at Weenen (Afrikaans, "weeping," in memory of the massacre). Dingaan then sent his army with instructions to seek out and kill the other group of Voortrekkers under Andries Pretorius. The Zulu impis found the Voortrekker encampment and attacked, but were dealt a crushing defeat in the ensuing Battle of Blood River with an estimated 3000 Zulus killed, with only three Voortrekkers slightly injured. Dingaan's commander at the battle was Ndlela kaSompisi.

In January 1840, Andries Pretorius, with a command of 400 burghers, helped Mpande in his revolt against Dingaan, which resulted in his overthrow and death. Dingaan was assassinated in Hlatikhulu Forest by Zulu Nyawo, Sambane and Nondawana while on a military expedition.

He was succeeded by Mpande - his (and Shaka's) half-brother.