Shaka kaSenzangakhonawas Zulu chief from 1818 – 1828. He changed the face of southern Africa by setting in motion the Mfecane and uniting the Zulu clans.

The Mfecane or ‘the crushing’, as the period became known, was a time of warfare and forced migrations. Zulu warriors, led by Shaka conquered and subjugated those in their path and forced rival tribes to migrate.

Within a year Shaka quadrupled his subjects and had a growing, well-organised fighting force.

Shaka’s domain extended over what is now the South African province of Natal.

As other tribes were displaced they formed new kingdoms including the Basotho nation and Gaza Empire. New kingdoms stretched from Cape Province to Tanzania.

Shaka was assassinated by his half-brother Dingane, in 1828. He was 41 years old.

Shaka was a fierce Zulu king who is thought to have contributed to the deaths of over a million people. Hero or villain, he remains an ambiguous figure in African history.

He gained wide renown in popular culture through the novel Chaka by Thomas Mofolo and the 1980s television series, Shaka Zulu, where he is dubbed ‘The Most Savage Warrior of All Time.’