5 moments

1. Birth in Mthonjaneni

   1787-07-01 · Mthonjaneni, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

   

   Shaka’s birth is placed in Mthonjaneni in what is now KwaZulu-Natal. The date is given as the lunar month uNtulikazi, identified by the source as July, in 1787. Birth year and lunar month are supported; coordinates are a representative point for the modern Mthonjaneni municipal area rather than a documented homestead.

2. Taken to the Mthethwa people

   1802-01-01 · Mthethwa Paramountcy, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

   

   During the period identified as the Great Famine, Shaka was taken to the Mthethwa people and found shelter with his mother’s aunt; this relocation preceded his later service under Dingiswayo. The source dates the move c. 1802 and does not identify the aunt’s exact home. Coordinates represent the Mthethwa Paramountcy.

3. Service in an iziCwe regiment

   1810-01-01 · Mthethwa Paramountcy, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

   

   As a young adult, Shaka entered a Mthethwa regiment and developed the military reputation that brought him to Dingiswayo’s attention. The year is approximate, derived from the source’s statement that he was probably about twenty-three; the precise location of the regiment is not specified. Coordinates represent the Mthethwa Paramountcy.

4. Meeting Zwide near Pongola

   1825-01-01 · Vicinity of Pongola, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

   

   Shaka met the Ndwandwe leader Zwide near Pongola in a battle that the source describes as a victory for Shaka, although with heavy losses among his forces. The source dates the encounter only to around 1825 and identifies a vicinity rather than an exact battlefield; coordinates are the representative point for Pongola.

5. Assassination at KwaDukuza Palace

   1828-09-24 · KwaDukuza Palace, KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

   

   Shaka was assassinated at his KwaDukuza palace, ending his reign and providing the best-supported final physical-presence location in the record. Coordinates represent central KwaDukuza; the exact site of the historical palace is not established by the cited source.