Zulu was born to a woman called Nozinja, who lived in what is now known as Zululand, or KwaZulu. Although Nozinja had many children, this one was her favourite, and she decided to name him Zulu, which means 'sky' or 'heaven'. Qwabe, Malandelaís oldest son, grew jealous of his younger brother Zulu, who their father had showed signs of favouring as heir, because of his strong character and devotion to his parents. Malandelaís wife Nozinja had even urged her husband to give the best of the white heifers to Zulu, so that he could build up his herds in preparation for the day that he would assume the chieftainship of the clan that was forming under the old manís leadership. Malandela had done so reluctantly, knowing that such favouritism might cause tensions between Qwabe and his younger brother, and tried to keep the peace by giving a brown heifer to Qwabe. It had made no difference, since the older boy was clearly not appeased by the gift of an inferior beast.
The two sons began to avoid each other.One fraction drew apart to follow Qwabe, while another went with Zulu; and a few independent souls remained aside from both. After the death of Malandela, the tensions between Qwabe and Zulu surfaced again, and there was a final confrontation between the parties. Insults and threats were hurled between the two, and finally, the groups split . Qwabe trudged off to the south-east, driving most of the cattle with him. His followers settled amongst the Ngoye Hills, and during the years that followed also established themselves in increasing numbers on the lower Mhlatuze River. They were to name themselves "The great reedbed of the Umhlatuze".
Attracted to the valley they had left a year or two before, Zulu and his mother travelled back up the course of the Mfule River to Mtonjaneni, and skirted the heights to work their way down the Mkhumbane Stream. With a few dozen followers and some cattle and goats, they settled on a low ridge between the Mkhumbane and Nzololo Streams, with a good view of the surrounding hills. Here Zulu lived for many years, with his small clan expanding through marriages and the incorporation of a few followers from other clans. . When Shaka was a boy, the Zulu were a small and unimportant clan of about two thousand people.
Dawn would see young boys lead the cattle to pasture while women and girls fetched water and set about their domestic and agricultural duties. At mid-morning the cows were brought back for milking, followed by communal breakfast for the homestead. This first meal of the day was generally a lighter version of the evening menu. After breakfast the cows were returned to the fields while the womenfolk resumed their chores and the men set about their more prestigious tasks - building and repairing the homestead, digging storage pits, clearing new ground, producing handicrafts, discussing current affairs and, when circumstances demanded, going out to fight rival clans. Hunting parties went in search of ornamental rather than edible trophies, as beef was by far the meat of choice. Not that it always highlighted the main meal, enjoyed after sunset when the cattle had been returned to their fold and the women were home from the fields to once again tend their cooking pots.
