Dingiswayo

Date of birth unknown; died 1818. Leader after 1808 of the Mthethwa clan of the Zulus, who had settled in the valley of the Umfolozi River in southern Africa. Dingiswayo significantly strengthened the troops of the Mthethwa clan by reorganizing the army and improving the training of soldiers. He created an alliance of the tribes who inhabited the region between the Pongola and Tugela rivers. Dingiswayo headed the Zulus’ preparations for armed resistance to the English and Boer colonizers, who were attempting to seize land that belonged to the Zulus. Dingiswayo’s work was continued by one of his closest assistants, Shaka (Chaka).