Virtual Seminar by Siyabonga Nxumalo (PhD) - British Political Hegemony and Imperialism: Crushing of the Usuthu and Onkweni Sections of the Zulu Royal Family, c.1880-1913

Abstract

The British invasion of the Zulu kingdom in January 1879, followed by the imposition of colonial rule from 1880 onwards, and the subsequent undermining of the Zulu royal family and dismantling of the kingdom from the 1880s into the early 20th century, have been the subject of numerous historical studies and dissertations. These works primarily focus on how British colonists targeted key figures in the Zulu royal family, particularly Kings Cetshwayo kaMpande and Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo. However, little attention has been paid to the British hostility directed at other senior royal figures such as Prince Ndabuko kaMpande and Prince Shingana kaMpande. Only Rolfes R.R. Dlomo and Jeff Guy have made brief references to these individuals in their biographical accounts of Kings Cetshwayo and Dinuzulu, and of Harriette Colenso.
This presentation will demonstrate three key points: first, the incarceration of Princes Shingana and Ndabuko alongside their nephew, King Dinuzulu, from 1889 to 1898; second, the re-arrest, trial, and banishment of Prince Shingana to kwaThoyana near Amanzimtoti in 1910–1911; and third, the re-arrest, re-trial, conviction, and banishment of King Dinuzulu to Middelburg from 1911 to 1913. These events were all part of a deliberate British strategy to dismantle the senior branch of the Zulu royal family, commonly known as the Usuthu.

Bionote

Dr. Siyabonga Nxumalo is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study (JIAS) at the University of Johannesburg. His research interests are centred around social history, with a particular focus on the histories of chiefdoms and farm workers. Dr. Nxumalo's work examines the intersection of social structures, power dynamics, and historical narratives, contributing to a deeper understanding of South Africa's past. Through his scholarship, he explores how these histories shape contemporary issues and identities in Southern Africa.