Evaluate the effects of the Mfecane/Difaqane.

The question requires that candidates make an appraisal by weighing up the strengths and limitations of the various effects of the Mfecane/Difaqane. They may consider effects such as the widespread conflict and displacement of populations resulting from Shaka’s aggression. Men were slaughtered during and after the battle, and women and children incorporated into the wider Zulu population. Political changes included the emergence of the Zulu as the dominant force in the region, while Moshoeshoe’s Sotho kingdom, which offered shelter to refugees, grew larger. Other new states, such as the Ndebele and Swazi, were created to the north, while depopulation of large parts of the subcontinent facilitated the settlement of the interior by the Voortrekkers. The emergence of a powerful Zulu state also led to contact and conflict with the Boers, Portuguese and British. Candidates may conclude by reaching a judgment about the relative significance of the different effects they have considered.