iNduna (plural: iziNduna) is a
Zulu/
Xhosa title meaning advisor, great leader, ambassador, headman or commander of a group of warriors. It can also mean spokesperson or mediator, as the iziNduna often acted as a bridge between the people and the king.[1] The title was reserved for senior officials appointed by the king or chief and was awarded to individuals held in high esteem for their qualities of leadership, bravery or service to the community.[2][3] The iziNduna would regularly gather for an
indaba to discuss important issues.
Amongst the
Ndebele the term was also used to collectively refer to a group of elite soldiers operating under a specific induna.[4]
The term has found widespread use in
South African English and
Afrikaans, and it is a common reference to boss or lead person.[5] In modern times the terms Chairperson and induna are sometimes used interchangeably.[6]
Mbopa was an iNduna serving under
Shaka. He was one of the main conspirators in Shaka's assassination by his half-brothers
Dingane and
Umhlangana.
Ndlela kaSompisi was a key general to Zulu Kings Shaka and
Dingane, and also served as Dingane's inDuna – his chief advisor. Ndlela' repeatedly defied Dingane's request that he assassinate
Mpande, half-brother of Shaka and Dingane. By this refusal he preserved the blood line of the Zulu monarchy, as all subsequent Zulu kings were from Mpande's blood line. He was strangled to death for his insubordination.
Nathaniel Isaacs, a British adventurer, was awarded the title inDuna Incoola (Principal Chief of Natal) by Shaka and was granted large tracts of land.
Tinos Rusere, nicknamed the "Rhodesian Induna", was an elected trade union representative of the Rhodesian miners in South Africa. In 1977 he became the trade union inDuna for all Southern African countries.
David Livingstone was given authority as a "nduna" in 1852 by
Sekeletu, chief of the
Kololo, to lead a joint expedition investigating trade routes, starting at Linyanti on the
Zambezi river and reaching
Luanda on the Atlantic before returning and continuing downstream to
Quelimane on the Indian Ocean.[7]
Induna used as name
The word Induna is regularly used as a name to indicate something large (the big one) or important:
Ntabazinduna (Mountain of the Chiefs) is the name of a hill north of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.[8] The name stems from the practice of throwing izinDuna who ran afoul of the king down it.[9]
The SS Induna was the name of a British
merchant steamboat (5086BRT) that was sunk during WW2. It was built in 1925 by A. Stephen & Sons Ltd. of
Glasgow and torpedoed by the German
U-boatFriedrich-Karl Marks (U-376) en route from
Reykjavík to
Murmansk. Of the 66 people on board, 28 survived and were picked up by a Soviet
minesweeper.[13][14]
The MV Induna Star was an 81-ton Australian steel
ketch.[15] It was captured by the Japanese during WW2 and the men aboard were incarcerated. Some of those men later died in the infamous sinking of the prison ship, the
Montevideo Maru by a US submarine.[16][17]
iNduna (plural: iziNduna) is a
Zulu/
Xhosa title meaning advisor, great leader, ambassador, headman or commander of a group of warriors. It can also mean spokesperson or mediator, as the iziNduna often acted as a bridge between the people and the king.[1] The title was reserved for senior officials appointed by the king or chief and was awarded to individuals held in high esteem for their qualities of leadership, bravery or service to the community.[2][3] The iziNduna would regularly gather for an
indaba to discuss important issues.
Amongst the
Ndebele the term was also used to collectively refer to a group of elite soldiers operating under a specific induna.[4]
The term has found widespread use in
South African English and
Afrikaans, and it is a common reference to boss or lead person.[5] In modern times the terms Chairperson and induna are sometimes used interchangeably.[6]
Mbopa was an iNduna serving under
Shaka. He was one of the main conspirators in Shaka's assassination by his half-brothers
Dingane and
Umhlangana.
Ndlela kaSompisi was a key general to Zulu Kings Shaka and
Dingane, and also served as Dingane's inDuna – his chief advisor. Ndlela' repeatedly defied Dingane's request that he assassinate
Mpande, half-brother of Shaka and Dingane. By this refusal he preserved the blood line of the Zulu monarchy, as all subsequent Zulu kings were from Mpande's blood line. He was strangled to death for his insubordination.
Nathaniel Isaacs, a British adventurer, was awarded the title inDuna Incoola (Principal Chief of Natal) by Shaka and was granted large tracts of land.
Tinos Rusere, nicknamed the "Rhodesian Induna", was an elected trade union representative of the Rhodesian miners in South Africa. In 1977 he became the trade union inDuna for all Southern African countries.
David Livingstone was given authority as a "nduna" in 1852 by
Sekeletu, chief of the
Kololo, to lead a joint expedition investigating trade routes, starting at Linyanti on the
Zambezi river and reaching
Luanda on the Atlantic before returning and continuing downstream to
Quelimane on the Indian Ocean.[7]
Induna used as name
The word Induna is regularly used as a name to indicate something large (the big one) or important:
Ntabazinduna (Mountain of the Chiefs) is the name of a hill north of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.[8] The name stems from the practice of throwing izinDuna who ran afoul of the king down it.[9]
The SS Induna was the name of a British
merchant steamboat (5086BRT) that was sunk during WW2. It was built in 1925 by A. Stephen & Sons Ltd. of
Glasgow and torpedoed by the German
U-boatFriedrich-Karl Marks (U-376) en route from
Reykjavík to
Murmansk. Of the 66 people on board, 28 survived and were picked up by a Soviet
minesweeper.[13][14]
The MV Induna Star was an 81-ton Australian steel
ketch.[15] It was captured by the Japanese during WW2 and the men aboard were incarcerated. Some of those men later died in the infamous sinking of the prison ship, the
Montevideo Maru by a US submarine.[16][17]