The Zulu was originally a small clan living in the territory of one of the Nguni rulers in Natal, Dingiswayo. Shaka who was born in 1787, was one of the sons of the Zulu clan chief, Senzangakona. His mother’s bad temper led to her being driven away from her husband’s household and Shaka grew up among strangers. He had an unhappy childhood; he was bullied and mocked by his companions. Memories of humiliation gave him a ferocious thirst for power. As a youth he joined Dingiswayo’s forces and earned a reputation for reckless courage. This found him favour with the chief. In 1816, after the death of his father, with the aid of Dingiswayo, he removed a brother from the chieftaincy of Zulu and became the chief of Zululand. Shaka proved to be a military leader of outstanding genius