 He was present at the murder of the Voortrekker, Piet Retief, and his followers at Dingane's royal homestead of uMgungundlovu (Zulu for "Place of the Great-Elephant").This massacre and its aftermath had a profound effect on early South African race relations as it led to the Battle of Blood River on 16 December 1838 when Dingane was overthrown by the Voortrekkers.After Dingane's overthrow, he was succeeded by his half-brother Mpande.