New book unearths secrets of Zulu life in early days

HAVE you ever wondered how the Zulus combed their hair or practised medicine hundreds of years ago?

These are some of the questions answered by Shalo Mbatha in a book that took 20 years of painstaking research to complete.

The book, uZulu‚ Umlando Nobuqhawe BukaZulu, explores 800 years of Zulu history.

Mbatha‚ a former journalist who now works for the Gauteng Film Commission‚ said one of the most fascinating discoveries was getting to grips with why Zulus loved polygamy.

“I learned that isithembu [polygamy] is more than just more two or three women married to one guy,” Mbatha said

“For example‚ if you as the wife are sick‚ the other wives can help you with your children and share the burden of having to please your husband night after night. These Zulu men don’t play.”

The book also explains the basic life of Zulus. What occupied their day and what they used to comb their hair – fish bones and other objects made out of horns and wood.

Zulus had their first meal of the day at 11am and only ate twice a day. People worked seven days a week and jobs were classified according to gender and age.

Women did the unending jobs‚ such as cooking and cleaning‚ while men carried out time-bound tasks like hunting and building houses.

“There was no stress. Everybody knew their place in life. Everything was herbal and organic‚” Mbatha said.