Shaka Zulu was the leader of the Zulu empire from the late 18th century until the early 19th century, oral traditions refer to him as a heartless leader and as an amazing military strategist. At first, most of the Zulu tribes identified themselves as farmers and they struggled because of the internal conflicts between each other. Shaka Zulu unified the Zulu tribes and formed one of the most powerful African nations that could even stop the British colonization in the south of Africa.