Dingane (1795-1840) was king of the Zulu from 1828 to 1840. He was born in Babanango, near Ulundi, in what is now the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. He became the leader of the Zulu after helping to assassinate his half-brother Shaka.
In the late 1830’s, a group of Boers (Dutch farmers) from the Cape Colony wanted to acquire land in Natal, to the south of the Zulu territory. The Boers claimed that Dingane signed a treaty with Piet Retief, the leader of the Voortrekkers (settlers), and gave Natal to them. But no treaty was ever found. Dingane opposed the Boers in several battles. Retief and his delegation were executed at Umgungundlovu, the Zulu capital. One of Dingane’s armies was eventually defeated by a Boer force at the Battle of Blood River in 1838. Dingane set fire to his capital and fled northward. In 1840, his half-brother Mpande allied with the Boers to destroy him. Fleeing across the Phongolo River in present-day Eswatini, Dingane was trapped and stabbed to death.
