| Battle of Ndondakusuka | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Zulu Civil War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Cetshwayo faction (uSuthu) | Mbuyazi faction (iziGqoza) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Cetshwayo |
Mbuyazi John Robert Dunn | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| c. 20,000 | c. 7,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| unknown | over 20,000 (including non-combatants) | ||||||
The Battle of Ndondakusuka, often known as the Second Zulu Civil War, fought on 2 December 1856, was the culmination of a succession struggle in the Zulu Kingdom between Cetshwayo and Mbuyazi, the two eldest sons of the king Mpande. Mbuyazi was defeated at the battle and was killed, leaving Cetshwayo in de facto control of the kingdom, though his father remained king. Mbuyazi's followers, including five other sons of King Mpande, were massacred in the aftermath of the battle.
