Dingiswayo
During the time when Nandi and Shaka were with the tribe, Jobe was plotted against by his sons Tana and Godongwana. The plot was discovered and Tana was killed but Godongwana made his escape with a barbed assegai in his back. Nursed back to health by a sister, the young man found refuge amongst the foothills of the Drakensberg. He changed his name to Dingiswayo, which means "he who is troubled." Here he stayed untill the death of his father, after which he decided to return and claim the chieftainship.
Dingiswayo made his way home to find the Mthethwas ruled by his younger brother Mawewe. With the scar on his back as proof of his identity, Dingiswayo took the chieftainship without resistance. Mawewe fled, only to be lured back and killed later. Dingiswayo then began to assert his authority, first over the Mthethwa and then over the region as a whole. He also decided to bring the hundreds of domestic clan feuds to an end, by asserting an overall military control over the area around the coastal lowlands and further inland to the heart of the country around the middle Umfolozi river. This strategy was intended to end the inter- tribal bickering, but was also necessary to provide a counter to the expanding Ndwandwe, Ngwane and Hlube tribes to the north.
By chance, the greatest number of Dingiswayoís troops were concentrated where Shaka had been installed, at o Yengweni kraal between the Enseleni and Mfolozi rivers. New units were formed, and unit bore a distinctive name awarded by the king, and a distinctively coloured shield to identify it. Each regiment was under a regimental commander, and each company within the regiment was under a company leader.
The use of circumcision guilds for military purposes brought new vigour and cohesion to the Mthethwa. The assembly of so many young men for military training formed a strong bond amongst them, that cut across clan or tribal rivalries and allowed the king to command their sole allegiance.
Dingiswayo now began his conquests. He initiated a programme of military expansion, and drafted units from subject clans into his growing army. His policy was one of pacification, with client chiefs left in place to control their cattle and crops once the Mthethwa army had withdrawn.
Warfare during the time of Dingiswayoís reign was largely haphazard, with much reliance on the throwing spear, known as the isipapa or isijula. This weapon, with its small iron head and slender, tapering shaft, was hurled from a distance of perhaps thirty metres. There were few close engagements and little hand to hand combat, since opponents usually fled if they were being bettered in battle, and there was not much evidence of intricate planning or strategy on a large scale. Engagements were therefore often inconclusive, with both sides retiring before serious harm resulted.
