Centuries after the founder of the Zulu Empire was murdered by his half-brothers, his last words became the sword of Damocles that cursed Africa.
When Shaka ka Senzangakhona, Zulu king, was stabbed by Dingane and Mhlangana at kwaDukuza (in what has become South Africa) on September 24, 1828, the first of the two killers assumed the throne. His decision to defy Shaka’s dying words were to …