Did the Mfecane Lead to Colonialism?

“When two brothers fight to the death it is the foreigner who inherits the wealth.”

Nigerian Idiom

Shaka the Zulu King was a source of pride for Southern Africa. His warriors were fierce and ruthless they dominated warfare and crushed enemies. Kingdoms scattered and fled at the threat of confrontation against the Zulus. The colonial powers feared Shaka and did not dare attempt their quest to take away land when Shaka was alive. The British trembled at the mention of Shaka’s armies whose reputation of battle excellence preceded them.

The Mfecane translated to English means the war of crushing. Shaka the Zulu King looked east and crushed and defeated the Tembu and Xhosa. These wars made the Bantu people of the Eastern and Cape provinces vulnerable to foreign invaders by Boers and British. The Cape and Eastern provinces were the areas that the Boers and British first invaded in their conquest of Africa.

At the end of the day Shaka and the rest of the southern African Kings were used to fighting other Bantus for territory and cattle and tribute such as gold. They had not anticipated that their internal wars weakened Africans against the evil barbaric force of colonialism. Thousands and thousands of able bodied young warriors were killed in internal African wars leaving the African resistance to colonialism weaker. Africans armies such as the Pondo or Xhosa and eventually the Zulu could not mount a strong fight against the invading armies and colonialism took its force.

After the Shaka expedition in the East, Shaka set his eyes north pursuing Soshangane and the Shangane people who had fled to Southern Mozambique. Other groups that left what is present day South Africa included the Ndwandwe, Mthethwa, and Mzilikazi. These groups had they not left would have mounted a strong resistance to the colonial armies and pushed back the tide of colonialism.

 The Zulu warriors were tired and wanted some rest but could not dare express their discontent to Shaka the gallant fighter, the renowned Zulu warrior. The never ending wars caused disgruntlement and his brothers Dingane conspired to assassinate Shaka.

There are historical records that show that the British army was a much weaker army but the smaller African armies as a result of African internal wars were eventually defeated.