John Robert Dunn

John Robert Dunn (1834–1895) was a South African settler, hunter, and diplomat of Scottish descent. Born in either Port Elizabeth or Port Natal in 1833 or 1834, he spent his childhood in Port Natal/Durban. He was orphaned as a teenager, and lived in native dress on the land near the Tugela River. His conversance with Zulu customs and language allowed his increasing influence among Zulu princes. In addition he was able to identify and exploit various opportunities for trade. He represented both colonial and Zulu interests, and rose to some influence and power when Cetshwayo became the Zulu sovereign. He acted as Catshwayo's secretary and diplomatic adviser and was rewarded with chieftainship, land, livestock and two Zulu virgins. In the run-up to the Zulu War, he was served with an ultimatum by the British at the same time as Cetshwayo. He had to forgo any position of neutrality and sided with the British. In the aftermath he was allocated land in a buffer zone between the colony and Zululand. Besides his first wife Catherine, he took many Zulu women as wives and left a large Christian progeny when he died at age 60 or 61.

John Dunn's birthplace is in dispute, born either in Port Elizabeth or Port Natal in 1833 or 1834. He was the son of Robert Dunn, a Scotsman and resident of Port Elizabeth who was one of the early settlers at Port Natal. On his mother's side, he was the grandson of Alexander Biggar. Robert Dunn worked as a trader and owned land at Sea View. and became wealthy trading hides and ivory.

Dunn lost his parents early. When he was 14, his father was trampled to death by an elephant and his mother Anne died three years later. He started to earn a living by working for transport riders and hunters. His love of hunting and his skill with a rifle took him across the Tugela River into Zululand on a regular basis, where he became fluent in the language and was befriended by local chiefs. In 1853 after a failure of payment for a transport contract to the Transvaal, due to being not of age and the lack of contract, disillusioned he wandered around Zululand eventually meeting the Natal agent Captain Joshua Walmsley and returning to Natal with him, became his interpreter until 1856.

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