Mpande's - University of Zululand Institutional Repository

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British settler leaders, Lieutenant George Farewell, Lieutenant Henry
King and Mr H. Francis Fynn, entered into negotiations with Shaka to
obtain permission to establish a trading station at the landing place.' It
could be mentioned that presents of marvellous objects (e.g. mirrors,
earrings, bracelets) had a subtle power, which no Zulu king could
withstand, and Shaka accepted them and at times turned a blind eye on
the actions ofthe traders.
Dingane, Shaka's immediate successor had quasi-friendly relations with
the British. After the assassination of Shaka in 1828, he sent emissaries
to the British at Natal to announce his succession to the Zulu thrones The
British local leaders at Natal showed scant recognition of the position of
the Zulu potentate. The British also disobeyed Dingane's summons to
Henry Francis Fynn to advise him on a contemplated military expedition
against the Swazi kingdom northeast of his domains.' Hostility toward
Colonial establishments, however, was always a characteristic feature of
Dingane's reign. The wars he launched led to the social dislocation of
some clans and refugees increased, seeking a haven in inaccessible areas.
4
5
6
Glenelg to D'Urban, 26 September 1836; Gardiner to Smith, Cape Town, 8 March
1837, Him L Annals ofNatal, p. 313.
e.0.48/483: Minutes, regarding Frere to CarnarvOD. secret and confidential,
21 July 1877.
N.A.: Herben to Shepstone (private), 6 December 1887, Shepstone Papers Vol 25:
e.0. 879/13/150: Hicks Beach to Shepstone, Confidential, 13 March 1878.