On 7 March 1877, the first Zulu Christian martyr, Maqhamusela Khanyile, was killed for
defying orders to serve in the Zulu military. He refused to join an ibuthu under King Cetswayo
and was executed on Mpondweni Hill in Eshowe. In modern terms, he would be regarded as
a conscientious objector. The Zulu military system was built on the institution of compulsory
military units called amabutho, established by King Shaka in the making of the Zulu state.
It was based on groups of men and women who worked together in service to the king for
economic and military reasons. Men mainly served as soldiers while women provided grain
and food. In life, Khanyile was not a simple martyr; he was a far more complex character.
As one missionary observed, Khanyile was “serving the (Zulu) King while giving his heart to
God.” His death was one of the events that led up to the British-Zulu wars that followed,
and his execution was one of the factors the British Empire used to justify their decision to
go to war with the Zulu Kingdom. Today, the site is visited regularly by church groups and
traditional healers.