168 REFLECTIONS ON CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP
The life and death of an absolute despot
Shaka was born about 1787 in the region now known as KwaZulu Natal.
His father, Senzangakhona, was the chief of a small Zulu tribe; his
mother, Nandi, the daughter of the chief of the neighboring eLangeni
tribe. Oral and written accounts about the way his parents met and
conceived Shaka differ widely. One account tells that Senzangakhona
saw Nandi bathing in a stream. According to this version, the two young
people were immediately attracted to each other and engaged in ukusoma
( ‘ thigh sex ’ ) — a form of sexual play without penetration that was a
socially acceptable way for young unmarried people to release sexual
tension. But they lost their heads; Nandi became pregnant; and the
families of both were disgraced (Isaacs, 1836 ; Fynn, 1950 ; Stuart, 1976,
1979, 1982, 1986, 2001 ).
Another account maintains that when Zulu elders were told of
Nandi ’ s pregnancy they indignantly dismissed the claim, suggesting
instead that she was suffering from an intestinal parasite called ishaka ,
which was alleged to suppress menstruation and enlarge the belly. The
elders were unwilling to accept that their chief would have disgraced
himself with an eLangeni woman. Remembering the insulting way she
had been treated, Nandi later called her son Shaka, or ‘ parasite. ’
The illegitimate birth was not the only taboo that the couple broke,
however. In conceiving a child, Senzangakhona and Nandi transgressed
kinship rules about proper social behavior. Marriage and sexual play of
any kind were not permitted between members of the closely linked
eLangeni and Zulu clans. This social convention carried such weight
that both clans were publicly humiliated by the baby ’ s birth. The stigma
of this double dishonor — illegitimacy and the violation of exogamy
rules — extended to the child.
Senzangakhona ’ s affection for Nandi cooled and eventually he aban-
doned her and their children. Nandi returned to the eLangeni, who
grudgingly took her in. Shaka hated living with his mother ’ s family.
Despised by his mother ’ s clan, he had to endure many humiliations, and
was bullied by other children, who referred to him as ‘ the fatherless one. ’
In 1802, a persistent drought threatened the eLangeni ’ s survival:
there was no food to spare for unwelcome clan members and Nandi and
her children were thrown out. With no wealth and no husband or family
member to stand up for her, Nandi was an outcast; she and her children
had to fend for themselves. This rejection affected Shaka profoundly. He
became revenge - focused, vowing never to forget what had been done
to them.