Natal–Zululand border incident facts for kids
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In 1878, a British land surveyor and a trader were stopped by Zulu warriors on an island in the Tugela River. This river was the border between the British Colony of Natal and the Zulu Kingdom. The Zulu took some of their belongings but let them go without harm.
However, Sir Henry Bartle Frere, a powerful British official in Southern Africa, used this small event as an excuse to start a war with the Zulu. He demanded payment and other things for this incident in a list of demands called an "ultimatum" to the Zulu king, Cetshwayo. When the Zulu king did not agree to all the demands, British forces invaded Zululand on January 11, 1879.
The Border Incident
The British had built a fort called Fort Buckingham near a river crossing known as the Middle Drift on the Tugela River. This river was the border with the Zulu Kingdom. Years earlier, the governor of Natal, Sir Garnet Wolseley, had ordered a road to be built. This road connected the fort and the Middle Drift to a town called Greytown further south.
By 1878, Sir Henry Bartle Frere wanted to take control of the Zulu Kingdom. He thought the Zulu were a danger to peace and to his plan to unite all British lands in the region. A British general named Frederic Thesiger was put in charge of the military in the area. Expecting a war, he ordered a check of the border region.
As part of this check, officials decided to survey the road between Greytown and Fort Buckingham. This road led to the Middle Drift, which was a possible way for British soldiers to cross into Zululand. David Smith, from the Natal Colonial Engineers Department, was told to survey the road. He was ordered to go without soldiers because having troops near the border had caused problems with the Zulu before. Smith went with only a trader named W. H. Deighton.
On September 17, 1878, Smith and Deighton were checking the part of the road closest to the Middle Drift. A group of Zulu warriors were on the other side of the Tugela River. They were there to watch for any British crossings. The Zulu called out to Smith and Deighton, but the men ignored them. Smith and Deighton crossed the Middle Drift from the Natal side to an island near the Zulu shore. They wanted to survey the river crossing. The water was low, and the island was only separated from the Zulu side by a very shallow stretch of water.
The Zulu warriors might have thought the men were getting ready for a British invasion. They crossed to the island, which they had always believed was part of Zulu land. Smith and Deighton were held by the Zulu for about an hour. The Zulu made them empty their pockets and took their smoking pipes and handkerchiefs. Their horses were also taken. However, a passing Zulu commander, called an inDuna, ordered the warriors to release Smith and Deighton. The men were not hurt during this event.
The Road to War
David Smith seemed to think the incident was not a big deal and did not tell his bosses about it. However, Deighton did report what happened. The governor of Natal, Sir Henry Ernest Gascoyne Bulwer, also thought it was a small matter. He believed such things could happen on a border between a European power and a local tribe. Frere first agreed, saying it was partly the surveyors' own fault and not ordered by the Zulu leaders.
But Frere later changed his mind and used the incident to show that the Zulu were a threat to Natal. When the public found out, many settlers in Natal were very angry. Frere demanded payment for the incident in his ultimatum to King Cetshwayo on December 11. One of the first demands in the ultimatum was for 100 cattle. These cattle were to be given within 20 days as payment for the offense against Smith and Deighton.
The rest of the ultimatum included much tougher demands. These demands would have basically destroyed the Zulu way of life and their army. Frere wrote the ultimatum hoping that Cetshwayo would refuse it. This would give Frere a reason to start a war and take over Zululand. The ultimatum ran out on January 11, 1879. British forces then invaded Zululand, starting the Anglo-Zulu War, which eventually led to the defeat of the Zulu.
