After Mpande began a purge of his opponents in June 1843, Mawa fled with up to 50,000 refugees to the British Colony of Natal, significantly depopulating the southern portion of the Zulu Kingdom.
[2][3] According to oral accounts recorded by James Stuart, Mawa was bald as an adult and had artificial hair stuck to her head with red clay.
[8][9] She was joined by 30,000 to 50,000 refugees, depopulating much of the southern portion of the Zulu Kingdom;[1][10] according to British colonial official Abraham Josias Cloëté, nearly all kraals as far north as Nseleni had been deserted.
[7] Soon after their arrival in Natal, Mawa negotiated a treaty with British colonial authorities, allowing her refugees to establish a permanent settlement along the Umvoti River near Verulam.
[15][16] Due to their lack of clear ownership, these cattle became known as puzela, which later became a Zulu term for "low, immoral people, having no homes, street-walkers".