Thread by @valavoosh

It's very strange to me that we rarely tell the story of the significant role certain women played in King Shaka's life and death. These interesting stories aren't amplified enough. So let's start with Mkabayi Ka Jama, who according to tradition should have never even lived.

Also Oral history has so many different interpretations of the history of the Zulu nation and this particular dynasty, so feel free to add the narratives you have been told. Let's build the thread together.

So uMkabayi was a twin. According to tradition she and Mmama (I hope this is the correct spelling) were not supposed to live. Some argue only one of them should have been killed? Others say both. Twins were a bad omen. But Dad, king Jama refused to allow his daughters to die.

Of course this didn't sit well with anyone. When their mother (no one seems to be interested in the Queen Mother's name in some of the research I've come across 🙄) died this was confirmation of the bad omen twins are. Apparently Mkabayi bore most of the brunt of this misfortune.

Add to this, King Jama took a wife already pregnant by someone else and this caused a bit of a furor as the kingdom felt an illegitimate heir would create instability for the nation. For this Mkabayi was also blamed. Note the Queen Mother died before giving birth to a male heir.

So Mkabayi apparently set her father up with a woman named Mthaniya and after the two married, the new Queen gave birth to a boy, the heir Senzangakhona. This won her favor with the people as she wasn't a bad omen after all.

King Jama died while Senzangakhona was too young to ascend the throne and so Mkabayi decided she'd act as regent, an unprecedented move back then. It is probably why she is considered a callous despot. But she was one very powerful regent with a strong military force to boot.

It is around this period, according to some oral history accounts that the young prince Senzangakhona meets uNandi ka Bhebhe, the woman who would give birth to their son Shaka/Tshaka.

Now Nandi's mother (no one seems to be interested in her name too 🙄) was the daughter of Kondlo of AmaQwabe. This was a clan with intermarriage with amaZulu was simply unacceptable. But no one was prepared for Nandi's pregnancy by way of ukuhlobonga.

In instances where such pregnancy occurs, families usually hide it by saying the young woman is suffering from an ailment- itshaka. This is where the future heir ka Senzangakhona, uSgidi's name originates.

Now there are certain historical accounts that claim Senzangakhona denied paternity when it was finally revealed Nandi's "ailment" was an actual pregnancy. Others claim he accepted the pregnancy and they married but Nandi became the lesser wife. The facts are bit murky here.

UMkabayi played a very important role in making sure her nephew eventually grew up to take over the kingdom. She ensured his protection even when apparently her brother attempted to have Shaka and his mom killed. Fast forward to when Shaka is King and his mother Nandi dies.

I'm deliberately skipping over Shaka's reign etc because like I said we are focusing on the women.

So uNandi passes away & Shaka is overwhelmed with grief. This begins to affect his ability to lead the nation. He makes very strange decrees and becomes quite tyrannical. Mkabayi decides to plot his assassination along with one of her nephews Dingane & one of Shaka's bodyguards.

But this isn't Mkabayi'a first time presiding over the assassination of a king. She (in collaboration with Dingiswayo) had Senzangakhona's official heir, Sigujane killed to make way for Shaka.

So it was on this day that King Shaka was murdered by his half brother & his bodyguard in his residence KwaDukuza. Mkabayi lived through various transfers of power: her father, her half brother, & her three nephews-transitions she helped facilitate; yet we don't talk about this.

Some accounts reveal Dingane had her married off in order to weaken her political influence. According to tradition, unmarried princesses headed up military units. Mkabayi's military was very powerful. Remember the pregnant woman King Jama married before Mthaniya?

That boy grew up to be Sojiyisa, was seemingly a threat to Senzangakhona. To protect her brother and ensure his smooth transition to the throne, Mkabayi while regent attacked her Sojiyisa quelling any threat to Senzangakhona going forward.

I think Dingane knew the threat his aunt posed even to him of she remained unmarried. So marriage became the poison that killed any respect she had with the Zulu nation.