Amongst the Varozwe the custom of killing the king prevailed. Absence of bodily blemishes was considered absolutely necessary in the occupant of the throne. If a candidate for the kingly office had any such defects, he was passed over in favor of someone else. Even when in full possession of his powers he was sometimes not allowed to reign very long. If he showed any signs of physical decay, such as loss of teeth, grey hairs, failure of sight, or impotency—in fact, any of the indications of advancing age—he was put to death, and a man was deputed to carry the resolution into effect. He was waylaid on a path and strangled with a thong of cowhide. I have heard it asserted that any man who saw the king declining in strength had the right to kill him, but I am not sure if this is true.

Regarding the Zulu custom of king killing, Isaacs, a contemporary of Chaka, and a trader at his court, says that the Zulus were accustomed to put their kings to death when they showed symptoms of failing powers, such as the appearance of grey hairs, wrinkles, or loss of teeth, and that Chaka was very angry with him because he could not give him a specific to prevent the approach of these signs of infirmity, as it would be an indication to him to quit this sublunary world, it being always followed by the death of the monarch. I have not found any other reference to this custom among the Zulus in contemporary literature. Neither Callaway nor Bryant mention it in their accounts of Zulu customs. Isaacs was, however, a trustworthy observer, and he is not likely to have been mistaken.¹

¹Dornan, S.S.n/an/an/an/a, "The Killing of the Divine King in South Africa," , 16: 397.