Breaking Patriarchal Traditions: The Power and Legacy of Princess Mkabayi in the Zulu Kingdom, South Africa

From the beginning of time women have had very specific roles in the society. The African society is one that is patriarchal and requires women to be subordinated and emancipated and is dominated by patriarchal ideologies. This paper investigates the omission/undervaluation of women's political agency in precolonial historiography. Princess Mkabayi took the throne to become a regent when her brother Senzangakhona ka Jama the rightful heir was still young, this was a first ever in the Zulu Kingdom for a woman to become a regent. This paper argues that Princess Mkabayi's regency and political strategies constitute a form of indigenous proto feminism that actively contested patriarchal structures. The article utilises textual and historical analysis to interpret Princess Mkabayi’s political authority through a feminist lens. It argues that her leadership challenges the dominant patriarchal assumptions about women in precolonial Africa. The paper contributes to African feminist historiography by putting Princess Mkabayi as the central decision maker of the 19th century Zulu monarchy. The article aims to examine how Princess Mkabayi succeeded (Methods and Techniques applied) with strong ambitions into bringing stability into the Royal house and ensuring the continuation of the Zulu line and monarchy and at the same time empowering women.