Share This Article Cetshwayo was king of these people. Aztecs Zulus Persians Incas Berbers Cetshwayo kaMpande was king of the Zulu nation 1872?1879, and the most conspicuous native figure in South Africa for a quarter of a century. A nephew of the great Zulu leader Chaka, Cetshwayo led his people in their war with the British, 1878?1879.