King Mzilikaziwas born c. 1790, In Magudu near Mkuze in  Zululand South Africa His mother was Nompethu the daughter of King Zwide ka Langa of the Ndwandwe.

                                                                                                   Horning of His Nation Building Skills

Mzilikazi grew up under the tutelage of his grandfather Zwide kaLanga King of the powerful Ndwandwe. In the inevitable and looming conflict between the Ndwandwe and the Mtetwa under Dingiswayo, Mzilikazi’s was taught the art of war and nation building under the powerful  Ndwandwe warriors. He joined the regiments  and observed his grandfather’s cruel ritual of killing his enemies and having their heads cutoff and their skulls hanging in Ntombazi, Zwide’s mother’s hut. Mzilikazi observed the heads of his paternal relatives Donda and his son decorating Ntombazi’s hut until one day it was his father Mashobana’s turn when Zwide killed Mzilikazi’s father for saving Donda Khumalo from being killed by Zwide. Realizing the pain in his grandson’s heart and being repeatedly cautioned by Ntombazi of the bad omen that Zwide has brought upon himself by killing his Son in law Mashobana, Zwide appointed Mzilikazi as the King of the Khumalo clan to buy his allegiance and the protection of his people. Shaka on the other side suffered the same fate as Mzilikazi as Zwide killed Dingiswayo of the Mthethwa, whom Shaka considered as his father. The destiny of these heartbroken young warriors was sealed when Shaka(who had taken over the Mthethwa clan)  and Mzilikazi were drawn to team up together by Noluju Khumalo, one of Zwide’s inner advisors. After the death of Dingiswayo, instead of siding with Zwide, in exchange for the protection of his people, Mzilikazi swore allegiance to Shaka, who had risen to power as a commander of Dingiswayo’s army and had usurped the Zulu chieftainship and taken over the Mthethwa confederacy after Dingiswayo’s death.

Mzilikazi became Shaka’s most trusted General and confidant and they plotted the downfall and ultimate demise of Zwide, using Mzilikazi’s knowledge of the war tactics of the Ndwandwe to their advantage. This led to the Shaka and Mzilikazi alliance’s defeat of Zwide of the Ndwandwe in two decisive battles of kwa-Gqokile Hill and Nkandla. Mzilikazi contributed immensely to the building of the Zulu Nation under King Shaka. It was also at this point that the biggest mass exodus of defeated Nguni clans migrating from these wars called Mfencane, when Soshangane and Zwangendaba left Zululand to form their new Kingdoms ultimately in Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia

                                                                        The Great Betrayal That Led Mzilikazi and His People to Go out of Zululand

Mzilikazi’s bravery, successes in the battlefield, his wisdom, charisma, growing popularity and admiration by the people led to Shaka’s plot to kill Mzilikazi. In June 1822, Shaka sent Mzilikazi’s regiments to attack the Sotho chief Ranisi (Rantse) (Somnisi). Shaka gave Mzilikazi the weakest but wise old warriors the regiment he called iMbozisamhlanga. Mzilikazi knew the Sothos’s battle tactics of rolling bolders at their enemies from the impassible mountains. They devised a successful battle strategy and pounced on the Sotho chief’s defenseless rabble and drove away their herds. Sensing betrayal and dissatisfied with the brutality, heavy handedness and a life of subservience, Mzilikazi plotted to free himself and “let his people go”from Shaka’s influence. Mzilikazi openly defied and challenged Shaka by  refusing to give up the spoils of battle and in June 1822, he plotted his next move. This incident brought about the genesis of the new nation building project of a great visionary and military strategist that led to new game changer in the nation building process by elating it to a superior level of bringing different tribes of different languages and cultures into one great Mthwakazi Kingdom and Nation.

 died September 9, 1868, Ingama, Matabeleland

Mzilikazi was generally friendly to European travelers, but the discovery of gold in Matabeleland in 1867 brought a flood of Europeans that his son King Lobengula was unable to control and that eventually led to the downfall of the kingdom.