Farouk Chothia
THE Zulu prince who sparred publicly with Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi on Sunday night’s Agenda television programme charged this week that the minister of Home Affairs has his own secret agenda: he wants to be king of the seven-million-strong Zulu nation.
In his first in-depth interview since Buthelezi interrupted his appearance on the SABC, Prince Sifiso Zulu told the Weekly Mail & Guardian that he actually likes and admires Buthelezi. “He is a diligent man,” he said. “I only don’t understand his policies.”
The 42-year-old prince has built a reputation for standing up to Buthelezi, which made him an ideal choice as spokesman for King Goodwill Zwelithini’s interim royal committee.
The clash between Zulu and Buthelezi was not their first. Zulu said that while he was employed by the kwaZulu government, he was “summoned” 11 times by then- interior minister Frank Mdlalose to appear before the kwaZulu Legislative Assembly and cabinet; he believed it was because he was seen as a threat to Buthelezi’s close relationship with Zwelithini.
The prince said his woes started in the late 1970s when he organised Shaka Day celebrations on the south coast and, instead of inviting Buthelezi to address the functions, chose, among others, Prince Clement — another old foe of Buthelezi’s who is now a close confidante of the king. He was summoned to answer charges about his visits to Prince Clement — and even to the king. “I was asked: ‘What were you doing with the king in Swaziland? Why didn’t you invite Buthelezi as the guest speaker?'”
Fed up with the treatment, he said he adopted an “arrogant” attitude when summoned for the 11th time. “I told them I have a right to keep quiet,” he said. “I told them they were infringing my freedom. I told them this was the last time and that I would be taking legal action.”
Well-educated, he obtained a bursary — ironically from the kwaZulu government — to study for a diploma in public administration. While a student at the University of Zululand, he encountered political violence. “IFP students came into the residence (in the late 1970s). One of my bosom friends, a non-Zulu-speaking person, was hacked and stabbed to death in front of me,” he said. “I was saved because I was a member of the royal family. That’s what they told me.”
He holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration and social science and is studying part-time through the University of Boputhatswana for an honours degree in development studies.
He said he had gone through a “traumatic” period when working for the kwaZulu government as a township manager in Gamalakhe on the south coast and in several other places.
His car was followed, his office was audited twice a week; he was asked to fire staff for “minor faults” and was transferred on numerous occasions.
As he became closer to the monarch, he faced death threats.
In June this year, he said, kwaZulu policemen came to his home, warning that they would “get him”, and he went into hiding.
Although the Inkatha Freedom Party claims he is not a prince, his status within the royal hierachy was confirmed this week by Senior Prince Mcwayizeni Israel Zulu.
Sifiso Zulu “comes through” Prince Aaron, who was the son of Prince Mthonga, who was the son of King Mpande.
The royal tree started with Mpande as his predecessors, Shaka and Dingane, did not bear offspring.
Prince Sifiso argued this week that Buthelezi had “weakened the pillars of the kingdom” and “divided and disintegrated the royal house” as he vested power in himself through his clout in the IFP and the kwaZulu government.
“The royal house used to have liaison officers in various centres, particularly Natal and the Transvaal,” he said. “The liaison officers were the representatives of the king. Whenever subjects in the PWV (wanted) to meet the king, they would go through the liaison officer. The king would then address them. The same happened in Natal. That gave the king a healthy and lively link with his people.”
Buthelezi removed the liaison officers and replaced them with IFP/kwaZulu government representatives –“and they did not promote anything related to the royal house”, he said.
He said divisions within the royal family emerged when Buthelezi played princes against each other. “At social functions, those who are well disposed to the IFP will get front row seats — and this was humiliating to other princes.
“The king was (isolated) from even his immediate family. If we wanted to meet as a family, we had to do so secretly,” he said, adding: “(All) this makes me believe that (Buthelezi) has a secret agenda to depose the king and take over the role.”
Zwelithini was a pawn in Buthelezi’s political game, he said, particularly during the negotiation process.
“Buthelezi used the king as his political shield; as his political tool. Whenever he was politically and constitutionally challenged and marginalised, he rushed to draw in the king so that his political opponents would be deemed to be undermining the kingdom.”
He believed there were several reasons why Zwelithini allowed himself to be used.
“Through his IFP and kwaZulu government, Buthelezi managed to have access and control over the king’s subjects. If the king were to rise against Buthelezi at that point, he would have lost the support of his people, (although) now the situation has changed.”
Another reason was that the king’s office was a sub- division of Buthelezi’s department. The king, therefore, had to make requests to Buthelezi for whatever he needed — including stationery and transport.
Immediately after the election, Zwelithini broke free from Buthelezi’s “bondage”, he said, and made it clear that he had never regarded him as his “traditional prime minister”.
There were rumours that in the election run-up, Buthelezi wanted the king to write a letter appointing him to the post of “traditional prime minister” but the king “ridiculed” the request. The post could not be inherited either, he said, dismissing Buthelezi’s claim that he was born to be the traditional prime minister.
The prince is convinced that while Zwelithini lost previous showdowns against Buthelezi, he will win this time.
On the future role of the royal family, he said Zwelithini’s top priority will be to advocate peace. “We partly contributed to the violence through the king’s previous political partisanship,” he said, adding that the royal family will call on amabutho (warriors) to stop attending political functions and carrying “traditional weapons” to such functions.
“The amabutho are the domain of the king and they should not feature in any political party structure.”
He said he was not an ANC member, but that the royal family will also “facilitate” the implementation of the reconstruction and development programme at grassroots level.
“If you are the leader of the people, you need to look at their welfare also. You can’t look at your own position only.”