John Paul Clow Laband (18 March 1947 – 5 August 2025) was a South African historian and writer, specialising in Anglo-Zulu and the First and Second Freedom Wars (Afrikaans: Eerste- en Tweede Vryheidsoorlog). He taught at universities in South Africa, England, and Canada. In particular, he was Professor of History at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada, and a Research Associate of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Life and career
Laband published many books about the military history of Southern Africa and the history of the Zulu nation and the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879 in particular. He was most lately Professor Emeritus at Wilfrid Laurier University, and was made a Life Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge University, England.
Laband died on 5 August 2025, at the age of 78.
Bibliography (not exhaustive)
Fight Us in the Open; The Anglo-Zulu War Through Zulu Eyes, Pietermaritzburg, 1985
Kingdom in Crisis: The Zulu Response to the British Invasion of 1879, 1992
Isandlwana, KwaZulu Monuments Council series, 1992