Isandlwana Battlefield and the Volkswagen Polo

The Battle of Isandlwana took place on January 22, 1879. In December 1878, British High Commissioner Sir Bartie Frere issued an ultimatum to Zulu King Cetshwayo to disband his army and swear allegience to Queen Victoria. Receiving no satisfactory reply and desiring to provoke a war, Lt. Gen. Lord Chelmsford confidently led troops in three columns across the Buffalo River from the Natal Colony into Zululand. One small force of less than 2,000 men encamped under this prominent butte. Over the hill came the entire Zulu army of over 20,000 impis. The Zulus used King Shaka's chest-and-horns method to outflank the British and eventually succeeded. The Zulus slaughtered over 1,300 British soldiers, colonial volunteers, and native levies. A few survivors fled towards the river but pursuing Zulus killed them. If you have never watched the 1979 film Zulu Dawn with Peter O'Toole, that gives a mostly accurate account of the battle and events before and after. I coincidentally watched it recently. You should watch it too! I rented this 2023 Volkswagen Polo with the 1.0 turbo three-cylinder (TSI) and 7-speed DSG (dual-clutch automatic) at the Durban Airport. It proved hardy, quiet, and frugal. When I flew back to Johannesburg, Hertz gave me an identical white Polo which I accepted knowing I would be comfortable with it.