The KwaZulu-Natal government has pulled out of the annual re-enactment of the historic Battle of Isandlwana on Saturday, costing the event a financial injection of R200 000.
Provincial arts, culture and tourism minister Narend Singh said on Friday that the head of the provincial treasury had informed him in a letter at the eleventh hour that the commemoration was outside the department’s line function.
The treasury said anyone authorising expenditure on the event would have to reimburse the province with his or her own money.
Singh said that because of the timing, his safest option was to cancel financing the event.
”There was no time to go into debate over this letter,” he said. ”According to the letter, the understanding is that it would fall under the office of the premier.”
Singh said his department had met the office of the premier, with which it was to partner the event along with the Mnzinyathi district municipality.
The premier’s office recommended the event be cancelled, he said.
”It was not my prerogative to cancel but [rather] to indicate to the municipality that the department would withdraw.
”Until today, the department had been working jointly on the commemoration with the director of heritage in the office of the premier, Mr Thulasizwe Mngomezulu, and the Mnzinyathi district municipality,” read a departmental statement.
Meanwhile, in Dundee, the municipal manager of the Mnzinyathi district municipality said he received the news with shock.
”The local economy will be affected,” said Otto Kunene. ”We partnered this event with the department, because when this event takes place, tourists come.”
He said the event will still go ahead, but on a limited budget.
A R60-a-head honorarium that would have been paid to about 400 participants will no longer be available, along with the slaughtering of a beast, VIP catering and the use of three marquees for the occasion.
He said tourists have filled up hotels in the Dundee area.
The municipality has R70 000 to spend on the event and an extra R16 000 can be added to its budget in the absence of the R200 000 that the department would have spent.
About 4 000 people are expected to attend, and Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini and Inkatha Freedom Party leader and Zulu prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi are scheduled to address the gathering.
Accounts of previous re-enactments speak of busloads of gustily singing warriors disembarking and banging their spears against their shields, storming the waiting ”British regiments” to test their mettle.
Unlike wartime tragedies, the greatest injuries reported in the enactments include tick bites and sunburn.
The commemoration was to begin at 10am. — Sapa