Battles The Piet Retief Delegation massacre was the 1838 killing of 100 Voortrekkers by the Zulu king Dingane in what is now KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

The Voortrekkers, led by Piet Retief, migrated into Natal in 1837 and negotiated a land treaty in February 1838 with Dingane.

Upon realizing the ramifications of the imposed contract, Dingane betrayed the Voortrekkers, killing the delegation including Retief on 6 February 1838.

Despite warnings, Retief left the upper Tugela region, 28 January 1838, in the belief that he could negotiate with Dingane for permanent boundaries for the Natal settlement.

Retief, his son, men, and servants, about 100 people in all were taken to a nearby hillside, Kwa-Matiwane below the Hlomo Amabuto, which means, "mustering of the soldiers".

One of the most popular reasons given by historians is that Dingane felt threatened because he had received news that Voortrekkers that had recently ousted Mzilikazi from the Transvaal region through conquest.

Recovered was the undamaged deed, "The Cession of Natal" from Retief's leather pouch, also written by Bantjes, and later verified by a member of the "victory commando", E.F. Potgieter.