Children Shaka Parents Bhebhe | Name Nandi kaBhebhe Spouse Senzangakhona kaJama | |
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Similar People Shaka, Senzangakhona kaJama, Dingane kaSenzangakhona, Mpande kaSenzangakhona, Cetshwayo kaMpande Born c. 1760 (age 67), Melmoth, Zulu Kingdom Died October 10, 1827 (aged 67) Nationality Zulu Kingdom Partner(s) Senzangakhona kaJama, Gendeyana | ||
Queen nandi the mother of shaka zulu
Nandi (c. 1760 – October 10, 1827) was a daughter of Bhebhe, a past chief of the Langeni tribe and the mother of the famous Shaka, King of the Zulus.
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Birth of Shaka
Shaka's father was Senzangakhona kaJama, King of the Zulu people. Senzangakhona impregnated Nandi out of wedlock and the Mhlongo people demanded Senzangakhona pay damages. Nandi was on the fore-front of this case and discussion. She personally demanded 50 herd of cattle as payment for damages done to her and the herd was delivered to the Mhlongo people. After giving birth to her son, Nandi initially spent some time at Senzangakhona's kraal before her relation with Senzangakhona deteriorated, forcing her to leave the kraal. She went to live among her people, the Mhlongo. During that time she also had to protect her son from famine, assassination attempts, and enemies.
Death
Despite the hard times they endured together, or perhaps because of them, Shaka loved his mother almost to the point of worship.
Queen Nandi kaBhebhe died of dysentery on October 10, 1827. According to Donald Morris, Shaka ordered that no crops should be planted during the following year of mourning, no milk (the basis of the Zulu diet at the time) was to be used, and any woman who became pregnant was to be killed along with her husband. At least 7,000 people who were deemed to be insufficiently grief-stricken were executed, although the killing was not restricted to humans: cows were slaughtered so that their calves would know what losing a mother felt like. Her final resting place is located outside Eshowe, near the old road to Empangeni, and is identified by the marker "Nindi." On March 11, 2011, the Mhlongo Committee convened in Eshowe with representatives from the Office of the KZN (KwaZulu-Natal) Premier and Amafa to discuss the completion of plans for Princess Nandi's gravesite near Eshowe. An agreement was reached to formally unveil Queen Nandi kaBhebhe’s grave in May 2011, following the approval of the design proposals submitted by abaHlongo. Queen Nandi kaBhebhe was born in Melmoth in 1760 into the Mhlongo people and for that reason it was also agreed that the name on the grave shall be "Princess Nandi Mhlongo, Mother of King Shaka". The Bhebhe and Mhlongo people of eLangeni are one people.