Zululand Boer republic (?) (South Africa)

Last modified: 2006-01-21 by bruce berry
Keywords: zululand |
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• Zululand (1884-1897)

• South Africa
• South Africa : national index
• Boer republics in South Africa
• KwaZulu (homeland)
• KwaZulu-Natal province

Zululand (1884-1897)

The area of Zululand on your clickable map is not the same as the Boer republic of that name. The map area is roughly half the territory of the Zulu kings which was annexed following the Zulu War.  I'm not exactly sure of the location of the Boer republic, but I have a feeling that it was absorbed either into the Nieuwe Republiek or into the short-lived Klip River Republic, which was later re-absorbed into the Colony of Natal.

I had great difficulty identifying the "Boer republic of Zululand", and am still unable to put it down to a point on the map. Your note on this state indicates that it came to an end in 1879, which was the year that Zululand was annexed to Natal. However, Zululand had previously been under British administration for about a decade (and issued its own stamps, which were British stamps overprinted "Zululand").

A characteristic of Zululand after the defeat of the Zulu kingdom was that the British government operated by means of divide and rule tactics. The former kingdom was divided into districts, each of which had its own chief. One of the chiefs was a white man (John Dunn) who had a dozen or more Zulu wives, and several of the others were leaders of anti-royalist factions. The royal house was completely unrecognised. The anti-royalists, and in particular a chief called Zibhebhu (sometimes recorded as Sipepu or Siepepoe) attempted to eliminate the royal house and the royalist faction (known as the Usuthu). Zibhebhu is known to have allied himself with the Boers at certain stages, and the "Boer republic" might be connected with his district.
Mike Oettle, 14 Dec 2001