Nguni-speaking people living in KwaZulu-Natal
province in South Africa.
Numbering about 9.5 million, they are South Africa's
largest ethnic group. Traditionally grain farmers, they also kept large herds
of cattle. European settlers wrested grazing and water resources from the Zulu
in prolonged warfare during the 19th century; with much of their wealth lost,
modern Zulu depend largely on wage labour on farms owned by whites or work in
the cities. The Zulu provide the main support for the Inkatha Freedom Party.
Many Zulu belong to independent or separatist African churches, though the
traditional religion, based on ancestor worship and belief in a creator-god,
witches, and sorcerers, remains strong. See also Shaka.
