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DateOriginal Topic
27th October 2002Mbiline's followers?
By Glenn Wade
Hi! Sorry, if I'm getting on everybodys' nerves with my questions but could anyone please tell me what Mbiline's followers, who attacked a covoy of wagons and a company of the 80th at Ntombe Drift, wore into battle and what were their shields like?
Thanks a lot
Glenn
DateReplies
27th October 2002John Young
Glenn,

Prince Mbilini waMswati, was the pretender to the throne of Swaziland, and a number of his men were also Swazi. He also had under his command a number the abaQulusi.

The Swazi shield differs from the Zulu shield by virtue of the fact it is much rounder in design. I'll e-mail you with photographs so you can get the gist of what I'm talking about - as 'picture paints a thousand words'. You can also see details of their dress that way.

Regards,

John Young,
Chairman,
Anglo-Zulu War research Society.
27th October 2002Mark Hobson
Glenn

That's a good question you've posed.
From my own researches for an article I've written on Ntombe I gather that members of the abaQulusi clan probably dressed pretty much like the Zulu warriors. There is some suggestion that on the day of the battle they actually discarded their costumes and travelled naked so as not to be encumbered during the attack. Some accounts also say they did not have their warshields for similar reasons. All they had were their stabbing and throwing spears and an assortment of firearms.
Hope this might be helpful,

Mark.
28th October 2002Glenn
Thanks a lot chaps! Very useful info!
Glenn