The king has severed ties with his `keeper’, but the battle for control will be put to the test on Shaka Day, reports Farouk Chothia
AS Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini paced in the courtyard of the Enyokeni kraal after his Monday indaba with President Nelson Mandela and Inkatha leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, he turned to princes huddled in a conversation with journalists, saying: “Tell them! Tell the world! I am insulted that my palace has been stoned; vulgar language has been used; the state president has been insulted and my property has been destroyed.'”
The IFP’s decision to bus its supporters to the royal palace — significantly in kwaZulu government vehicles – – had clearly backfired. As the IFP’s well-crafted image of being the custodian of the Zulu nation lay in tatters, Zwelithini identified it — rather than the ANC as he had done in the pre-election period — as the main threat to his kingdom.
“This is a clear indication that they are invading the kingdom of kwaZulu and it’s a clear indication that death is knocking on the door,” he reportedly said.
Buthelezi’s failure to take immediate steps to halt what the royal family described as a “malicious invasion” suggested that he will hold Zwelithini in high esteem only for as long as he remains loyal to the IFP. By allowing the protest to take place, Buthelezi must have calculated that the prospects of restoring relations with Zwelithini were remote.
The monarch has surrounded himself with princes — among them Senior Prince Mcwayizeni Israel Zulu and Prince Clement Zulu — who act as his closest advisers.
For Buthelezi, this is shattering: it was under his reign that the Zulu Reed Dance ceremony was revived 10 years ago. But for the first time, he was absent at last Saturday’s ceremony while Mcwayizeni was present.
And at the Monday indaba, Buthelezi witnessed how power has slipped into the hands of his enemies: an ANC parliamentarian, Mcwayizeni was the one who welcomed the IFP leader to the palace before leading him to the monarch.
In the closed-door meeting that followed, Buthelezi fought back to undermine Mcwayizeni. Royal sources revealed that Prince Gideon Zulu — who has remained loyal to Buthelezi — rose to speak on behalf of the royal house, pre-empting Mcwayizeni, who was expected to do so in his capacity as the most senior royal family member after Zwelithini.
Having antagonised the royal house, the victory that Buthelezi scored when Mandela announced he was pulling out of the Shaka Day celebration was short-lived.
Shortly after the departure of Mandela and Buthelezi, the royal family — including Zwelithini — held a meeting that lasted until after midnight.
Mandela’s climbdown left the royal family in a dilemma. If they went ahead with the function, Buthelezi was almost certain to make a grand appearance, fuelling the perception that he was still the king’s “traditional prime minister”.
Buthelezi used this strategy at the Monday press conference when he asked: “Where is the wedge between us?”
Royal sources said this, coupled with the fact that his life could be endangered, forced Zwelithini to cancel the Shaka Day celebrations.
But the move could backfire on the monarch: a turnout by tens of thousands of people at Shaka’s tomb on Saturday would give the IFP ammunition to claim that Buthelezi, more than the monarch, has the interests of the Zulu nation at heart.
But more dramatic than the cancellation of the Shaka Day celebration was Zwelithini’s decision to denounce Buthelezi as his “traditional prime minister” and to “sever ties” with him. Other sources close to the royal family say this denunciation came against the backdrop of the years of “terror” that Zwelithini faced.
Said a source: “In one of the first meetings he held with Mandela, he told him: `You were a prisoner for 27 years. I was a prisoner for 24 years.'”
Other sources also revealed that several months before the April poll, Zwelithini had considered going into exile to Swaziland.
Zwelithini and Buthelezi are expected to wage fierce battle for the loyalty of grassroots-based chiefs and their headmen.
Buthelezi has the odds stacked against him for several reasons:
* He is not based in kwaZulu/Natal, making it difficult for him to wield a direct influence.
* He has also antagonised many chiefs who could follow Zwelithini’s lead to exert their independence.
* Zwelithini will now inaugurate chiefs, a function performed in the past by kwaZulu Minister of Justice Celani Mthethwa.
* The ANC is now represented in the provincial cabinet, reducing the chiefs’ reliance on the IFP.
A source revealed that the IFP is “dragging its feet” over the creation of a House of Traditional Leaders in kwaZulu/Natal.
The source added that Zwelithini could use the House to his advantage by having an “honorary” seat allocated to him.