The Battle of Thukela (Ndondakusuka), 17 April 1838

The Battle of Thukela was an important Zulu victory during the early stages of the Zulu-Boer War of 1838–1840; despite this there are few studies on this battle. This silence on the battle points to the need to fill this gap, particularly as the battle shows Zulu tactical ingenuity. In addition, this work seeks to better appreciate the role of the Zulu commander, Nongalaza kaNondela and his co-commanders, whose generalship was crucial to the Zulu victory. They used the typical Zulu order creatively showing tactical imagination and ability to improvise on the battlefield. Finally, this work also shows the role and importance of the Port Natal community in the early stages of the war and motives of their co-operation with Boers as well as the internal conflicts among the Port Natal hunter-traders.