According to E. A. Ritter, Ndlela was a "
Ntuli cannibal recruit" to Shaka's army. His name means "road" or "path". During the
Ndwandwe–Zulu War Ndela distinguished himself by his fighting ability, performing "incredible deeds of destruction" on Shaka's enemies. When his practice of promoting non-Zulus was questioned, Shaka is said to have replied, "Any man who joins the Zulu Army becomes a Zulu. Thereafter his promotion is purely a question of merit, irrespective of the road (ndlela) he came by", referring to the most famous of his adopted soldiers. He served as Dingane's
inDunankulu (chief adviser), Ndunankulu (Prime Minister) and uMkhuzi wamaButho kaZulu (Commander-In-Chief of the Zulu Army). He led a campaign against the Northern
Ndebele in 1837, but the war was inconclusive. He allegedly persuaded Dingane to kill
Piet Retief and crush the Boers. Neither Shaka nor Dingane had children. Mindful of the lineage of the Zulu kings, Ndlela repeatedly defied Dingane's request that he assassinate
Mpande, half-brother of Shaka and Dingane as he was a threat to Dingane's power. He argued that it would diminish his greatness and that, in any case, Mpande did not aspire to the throne. The
Battle of Maqongqo where the forces of Mpande and Dingane clashed in 1840 culminated in Dingane calling Ndlela a traitor. A significant portion of Ndlela's army deserted to Mpande's general
Nongalaza. Ndlela withdrew his remaining force rather than be overwhelmed. This resulted in a great loss for Dingane against his brother Mpande who had co-opted the Boers to fight on his side. Dingane ordered Ndlela's death through slow strangulation by cow hide thong. ==Mpande and after==