Impi yaseSandlwana mhla zingama-22 kuMasingana ngowe-1879 kwaba ngeyokuqala enkulu impi yamaNgisi namaZulu phakathi koMbuso wamaNgisi noMbuso kaZulu, nokwaholela ekunqotshweni okubi kweButho lamaNgisi.
Impi yamaNgisi namaZulu yasuswa nguSir Henry Bartle Frere owathi ngokwephula inqubomgomo neziyalezo zikahulumeni wamaNgisi, wabeka isiphetho esiyinhlamba nesingenakufezeka phezu kweNkosi uCetshwayo, owayengumngane wamaNgisi futhi owayezame ukugcina ukuthula.
UFrere, nokho, wayelandela uhlelo olwathuthukiswa nguNobhala wamaKoloni uLord Carnarvon lokuhlanganisa izindawo zaseNingizimu Afrika ngaphansi kombuso wamaNgisi, nakuba lokhu kwaphikiswa yipolitiki yaseNingizimu Afrika, kuhlanganise nohulumeni waseKapa.
Impi ngokumelene neZululand nayo yaphikiswa yiKhabhinethi yamaNgisi, kwase kuqokwa uSir Michael Hicks-Beach esikhundleni sikaLord Carnarvon. Esebenzisa ukuxhumana kwemeyili enensayo, uFrere wafinyelela ngaphambi kokuthi ukuguqulwa kwenqubomgomo kusetshenziswe.
Umbutho wamaNgisi ngesikhathi sempi yamaNgisi namaZulu wawungaphansi kukaLt Gen Chelmsford, umngane kaFrere kusukela ezinsukwini zokubusa kwakhe eNdiya nase-Abyssinia, kanye nowayengumsizi kaNdlovukazi uVictoria, owayephatha iChelmsford njengentandokazi. , futhi kamuva yayizomvikela ekusolweni ngezinqumo zakhe ezimbi eSandlwana.
UFrere noChelmsford babambisana ngonyaka odlule, 1878, ekunqotshweni koBukhosi bamaGcaleka, ubukhosi obuqavile besizwe samaXhosa, ngesikhathi seMpi Yesishiyagalolunye, lapho uFrere esebenzisa ukungaboni ngaso linye phakathi kwamaGcaleka namaMfengu, ababambisene namaNgisi, njengezaba. okwempi. “Ezinsukwini eziyishumi nanye ngemva kokuba amaNgisi eqale ukuhlasela izwe lakwaZulu eNingizimu Afrika, ibutho lamaZulu lamasosha angaba ngu-20,000 lahlasela ingxenye yekholomu yamaNgisi eyayihlanganisa amasosha angamaNgisi angaba ngu-1,800, amakoloni kanye nawomdabu futhi mhlawumbe nezakhamuzi ezingu-400.
AmaZulu ayehlome kakhulu ngemikhonto yensimbi yendabuko yakwa-Assegai, iklwa, nezihlangu zesikhumba senkomo, kodwa futhi ayenenqwaba yezibhamu nezibhamu ezindala nakuba ayengaqeqeshiwe ngokusemthethweni ekusebenziseni kwawo. -isibhamu sohlobo lwe-Martini-Henry esilayisha ibreech kanye nezingcezu ezimbili zezikhali ezingama-pounder angu-7 kanye nebhethri yerokhethi. Naphezu kobubi obukhulu kubuchwepheshe bezikhali, amaZulu aphakeme ngokwezibalo ekugcineni ahlula amaNgisi ayengaholwanga kahle futhi asetshenziswe kabi, abulala ngaphezu kwalokho. Amabutho ayinkulungwane namakhulu amathathu (1,300) kuhlanganisa nawo wonke ayephuma phambili.
Ibutho lamaZulu labulawa cishe inkulungwane.Impi yaba ukunqoba okumangalisayo kwamaZulu futhi yabangela ukunqotshwa t. wahlasela okokuqala amaNgisi elakwaZulu.Ibutho lamaNgisi lalihlulwe kakhulu ngokumelene nebutho lendabuko eliphansi ngokwezobuchwepheshe. Kodwa-ke, eSandlwana kwaholela ekutheni amaNgisi athathe izinyathelo ezinqala ngeMpi YamaNgisi namaZulu, okwaholela ekuhlaselweni kwesibili okuqiniswe kakhulu nokushabalala kwethemba leSilo uCetshwayo lokuthula okuxoxiswana ngakho.
Ukuhlulwa kweSandlwana kuholele ekutheni iHouse of Commons ifune ukuthi uFrere abuyiselwe esikhundleni kodwa uLord Beaconsfield wamvikela. Kwafinyelelwa esivumelwaneni: wagxekwa kodwa waqhubeka ekhona Izisulu Empini YaseSandlwana: Kwabulawa izikhulu zamaNgisi ezingama-52 kanye namarenki angagunyaziwe angama-806. Babalelwa ku-60 abantu baseYurophu abasinda kule mpi. Kwafa abantu base-Afrika abangama-471 belwela amaNgisi. Abashonile bamaZulu kumele balinganiswe futhi babekwe babalelwa ku-2 000 abashonile, kungaba enkundleni noma ngenxa yamanxeba.