What do we know about blacksmithing techniques in Africa ?

[The Double D]

One thing to note in the Zulu scheme of things is that the blacksmith makes the blade, the Spearmaker gets the blades and makes the spears.

I can find no specific reference to knife or sword making in these works, but it may be there. The problem is indexing.

In Junod there is no reference to knife or sword. While browsing the pages I found a picture of weapons and one is described as a dagger. Yep, there's dagger in the index. That illustration also shows some interesting axes.

Again a example of poor indexing, is this passage:

I may also mention the big knives (mikwa), a sort of sword ; one sometimes meets brawny fellows walking along the paths, armed with these dangerous looking implements! However they are quite inoffensive.

Nope no mikwa in the index either. There is no other details on this weapon or it's construction and no mention of such a weapon by the authors.

Shaka's iKlwa is about as close as it appears that the Southern tribes got to Swords.

Hope this helps. At least it might give you an area to not spend time researching.