<P> The pretext for the war had its origins in border disputes between the Zulu leader , Cetshwayo , and the Boers in the Transvaal region . Following a commission enquiry on the border dispute which reported in favour of the Zulu nation in July 1878 , Sir Henry Bartle Frere , acting on his own , added an ultimatum to the commission meeting , much to the surprise of the Zulu representatives who then relayed it to Cetshwayo . Cetshwayo had not responded by the end of the year , so an extension was granted by Bartle Frere until 11 January 1879 . Cetshwayo returned no answer to the demands of Bartle Frere , and in January 1879 a British force under Lieutenant General Frederick Augustus Thesiger , 2nd Baron Chelmsford invaded Zululand , without authorization by the British Government . </P>
who was the leader of the zulu in south africa who led the fight against the british
Cetshwayo