Quick Facts
Biography
Jama kaNdaba (c. 1727–1781), the son of Ndaba kaMageba, was a High Chief of the Zulu clan from 1763 to 1781. His grandfather was Chief Mageba kaGumede.
Biography
Marriage
He married, amongst others, Mthaniya Sibiya, who bore him Senzangakhona, who succeeded him. Senzangakhona was the father of the three Zulu kings, including the greatest, Shaka. He also had a sister named Mkabayi kaJama.
His daughter Mkabayi
Mkabayi singlehandedly courted Mthaniya for her father Jama who was aging without having a successor. She did this without her father’s knowledge and when he found out he said: "Nenzengakhona", which means "you have done accordingly." Mthaniya’s first son was named Senzangakhona – "we have done accordingly", after his sister’s efforts to find her father a successor. Mkabayi was a twin and Zulu custom dictated that one of the twins be sacrificed to evade bad luck that would result in the death of one of the parents.
Jama refused to kill one of his girls and broke a known tradition. Consequently his wife died without bearing him a successor. Mkabayi devoted her whole life in looking after the Zulu Kingdom due to the sacrifice her parents made for her to live.
Etymology
His name is derived from the Zulu word meaning "he of the stern countenance".
Sources
| Preceded by Ndaba kaMageba | Zulu King 1763–1781 | Succeeded by Senzangakhona kaJama |