King Dingane 's reputed instruction to his warriors , " Bulalani abathakathi ! " ( Zulu for " kill the wizards " ) showed that he may have considered the Boers to wield evil supernatural powers . After killing Retief 's delegation , a Zulu army of 7,000 impis were sent out and immediately attacked Voortrekker encampments in the Drakensberg foothills at what later was called Blaauwkrans and Weenen , leading to the Weenen massacre in which 282 Voortrekkers , of whom 185 children were killed . In contrast to earlier conflicts with the Xhosa on the eastern Cape frontier , the Zulu killed the women and children along with the men , wiping out half of the Natal contingent of Voortrekkers
Weenen massacre
Weenen massacre
Great Trek