The battle of Blood River, or Ncome, on 16 December 1838 has long been regarded as a critical moment in the history of South Africa. It is the culminating victory by the land-hungry Boers who had migrated out of the British-ruled Cape and invaded the Zulu kingdom in 1837.
Many Afrikaners long acclaimed their triumph as the God-given justification for their subsequent dominion over Africans. By con...