sighted the bluff at the entrance to what is now the harbour of Durban. Da Gama made no landing here, but in later years the name Natália became associated with the area. Like the rest of South Africa, Natal was neglected by the Portuguese, whose nearest settlement was at Delagoa Bay.

At some unknown date, the amaZulu clan of Nguni people settled in the region north of the Tugela River. Under chief Shaka,