Zulu kaNtombhela, son of Ntombhela kaMalandela , (also known as Zulu Nkosinkulu ?) was the founder and chief of the Zulu clan from ca. 1709. In the Zulu language, Zulu means heaven, or sky.

When his father Ntombhela died his eldest son Qwabe laid claim to his land, causing his younger son Zulu, along with his mother Nozinja, to set out to find land of his own.

He lead his followers south to the Mkhumbane river basin on the White Mfolozi river (are they the same ?). Here, amid the tall euphorbia trees that were destined to become the symbol of Zulu chieftancy, he established KwaZulu or "Place of Heaven".