This novel is about the dangers of unchecked ambition and is based in
the land of the Kaffirs in the eastern part of South Africa.
There are several tribes in Kaffirland : the Swazi, the Undwana, the
Abatetwa and the Ifenilenja. The Abatetwa is ruled by Jobe and later
by his son Dingiswayo. Chief Senzangakona rules the Ifenilenja, a weak
tribe which came under Jobe. Zwide rules the Undwana.
Senzangakona "has 3 or 4 wives" but they have only daughters. He falls
in love with Nandi but gets her pregnant before marriage , against the
rules of the land. Nandi bears Chaka, who is Senzangakona's first son
and real heir. Then the other wives start bearing sons : Mfokazana,
then Dingana and then Mhlangana. The other wives say Mfokazana should
be the heir, not Chaka who was conceived outside wedlock. Other boys
also beat up Chaka when they are driving cattle together. Because of
this, Nandi takes him to her witch-doctor for protection and he
becomes a brave fighter. Before the witch-doctor dies, she hands over
Chaka's case to Isanusi (i.e." the one who sees the future"), the
doctor who taught her.
One day, Chaka saves Mfokazana's girlfriend from a hyena and kills the
animal. Mfokazana and other young men are jealous of Chaka's fame and
try to kill him. He flees to the bush and meets Isanusi, who doctors
him. Afterwards, Isanusi tells Chaka, "You must continue killing with
this spear or the medicine in your blood will kill you. When you get
tired of killing, tell me so that I can dull the power of the
medicines."
Chaka later goes to Dingiswayo, who rules Abatetwa. Chaka wins wars
for Dingiswayo against Zwide's country. Dingiswayo, in turn, defends
him against enemies. Later on, Isanusi sends Ndlebe as a spy and
Malunga as a warrior to live with Chaka. When Chaka's father dies,
Mfokazana becomes the chief of the Ifenilenja but Chaka fights and
kills him. Chaka and Noliwe (Dingiswayo's sister) fall in love and
Dingiswayo approves of their planned marriage. When Dingiswayo is
captured by Zwide's army, Ndlebe deliberately misleads Chaka into
thinking that Dingiswayo is dead already. Therefore, Chaka mourns
instead of going to rescue Dingiswayo. Dingiswayo is later beheaded by
Zwide's people.
Chaka replaces Dingiswayo as the king of the Abatetwa. He chooses a
new tribe name for his people - "Zulu, Amazulu" (Heaven & People of
Heaven). When Chaka wants to marry Noliwe, Isanusi tells him to kill
her instead and bring her blood for sacrifice in order to gain the
chieftaincy of the whole of Kaffirland. Chaka kills her with a needle
while hugging her.
After Noliwe's death, Chaka becomes even more callous. He forces young
men into his army and warriors who lose their weapons in war or run
away are killed for "cowardice". None of his warriors must get married
so the Zulu spinsters have nobody to marry them. All that change when
Chaka makes Umziligazi the head of all his commanders. Umziligazi
rebels and flees with his men to settle elsewhere. They also take
young women with them for marriage. Umziligazi's deputy, Manukuza,
sent to capture him also follows his example.
Chaka has children with several women but has them killed at birth by
Ndlebe. Nandi is eager to have a grandchild so she hides one of
Chaka's pregnant women until she gives birth. The woman leaves the
baby behind and returns to Chaka. Chaka discovers the truth when he
visits his mother one day because the child dies when Chaka's shadow
falls on him. He kills his mother in anger. He kills many Zulus for
not crying enough over his mother's death. He also kills all the women
of Nandi's age and all the tribe of Umziligazi. All the corpses are
placed in the valley of Udonga-luka-Tatiyana.
Chaka gets the chieftaincy of Kaffirland but he is still thirsty for
blood. He organises feasts and kills people for singing badly, not
singing (because of fear of being killed for singing badly) and crying
for joy.
Chaka starts having nightmares featuring all his atrocities and in
which he sees Isanusi gloating over his downfall. He leaves home for
the veld but the nightmares continue. He grows jealous of his men who
slept soundly when he couldn't and kills some of them. He sends for
his halfbrothers, Dingana and Mhlangana, hoping to find comfort when
he sees them but they kill him for his chieftaincy.
