South Africa Post Centenary of the Anglo-Zulu War (1879 - 1979)

SOUTH AFRICA POST on 25 May 1979 issued four stamps marking the Centenary of the Anglo-Zulu War (1879 - 1979). The stamps include: the Battle of Isandlwana, Battle of Rorke's Drift, Battle of Ulundi and British commendations awarded during the war. Postmark cancellation originated from Rorke's Drift. The first day cachet depicted King Cetshwayo of Zululand and British Lieutenant General Frederic Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford.

When the British succeeded the Boers as rulers of Natal in 1843, they encountered a hostile Zulu people led by King Cetshwayo. In 1878, the British laid claim on the whole of Zululand and demanded that King Cetshwayo submit to British rule. He refused and Great Britain launched an attack, starting the Anglo-Zulu War where the British initially suffered a high number of casualties. The battle at the Isandlwana Mountain on 22 January, 1879 was particularly disastrous for the British where 20,000 Zulu soldiers overran the British army camp. The British army was routed with more than 2000 causalities. At first, the Zulu victory shocked the British; however England decided to send more troops and the Anglo-Zulu War continued with heavy losses of life on both sides. In 1887, the British defeated the Zulus, and annexed Zululand and declared it a British Colony. With the discovery of gold in the region, and the further encroachment of the Boers, Zululand was annexed into Natal on 31 December 1897.