MisuZulu kaZwelithini. Photo: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images
King MisuZulu ka Zwelithini has called for unity among political parties in KwaZulu-Natal to deal with the province’s high levels of crime, gender-based violence and unemployment.
In his opening address to the KwaZulu-Natal legislature on Tuesday, the king also called on Premier Thami Ntuli and his unity government to allow the province’s traditional leaders to play a greater role in its political and economic life.
The monarch has traditionally performed the official opening of the legislature a day before the premier’s State of the Province address, which Ntuli will deliver in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday.
MisuZulu told the legislature that it was “critical” to “clarify” that he was the legally recognised monarch of both the Zulu nation and the province.
“I am pointing this out because there is a temptation to regard the crown as a mere ceremonial artefact, to be occasionally taken out during ceremonies of only one section of the population,” he said.
“As the crown head and uBukhosi [the institution of traditional leadership], we are ready to economically uplift our province through tourism, co-operative governance, and fighting crime.
“I urge you to give uBukhosi an appropriate role. I also ask uBukhosi not to resist changes that our times necessitate.”
The king is at loggerheads with the Ingonyama Trust Board, set up to administer three million hectares of traditional land on his behalf, and wants it to be dissolved and replaced with a board in which amakhosi play a greater role.
He chairs the board and although there are amakhosi serving on it after being nominated in consultation with the House of Traditional Leaders, MisuZulu believes they should be given greater representation — and beneficiation — by the entity.
On Tuesday the king said that while South Africa had evolved over 30 years of democracy, “I would be misleading this House if I said that all is well with this democracy”.
Poverty, hunger and high levels of gun violence and gender-based violence continued to plague the province.
“As I stand here today, many amakhosi, izinduna and community members have been buried because of the gun. The critical point is that there are always instigators behind the shooters,” he said.
“Due to gun violence, many families are impoverished, having lost breadwinners. Our girl children, our sisters and our wives are not free under this democracy. They are abused and killed. As the monarch, this bothers me a lot and it should also bother you.”
MisuZulu welcomed the crime summitt being convened by Ntuli and commended the provincial police commissioner, General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, for his work in dealing with violent crime.
“I have been informed that a crime summit is being planned. That is an important step in the right direction. I want all traditional institutions to participate in that summit,” he said.
“The issue of security and safety in rural areas must be put on the agenda. I also urge that the education sector be included since violence is rife in our schools, rendering learners and teachers unsafe.”
The king told members of the provincial legislature from the various parties that they were expected to work for the people of KwaZulu-Natal.
Ntuli heads a unity government drawn from his Inkatha Freedom Party, the ANC, the Democratic Alliance and the National Freedom Party, with the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party — the largest in the legislature — acting as the official opposition.
The relationship between the parties in the legislature has been fractious and the MK party is challenging the appointment of committee chairperson in court. The party has also walked out of the legislature in protest against losing the fight over the powerful committee chairperson posts.
“Those who elected you did so because they trusted you. Remember, now that you are a member of this House, you represent all of us,” the king said. “You have a crucial role to
play. Five years is not a long time. I urge you to work hard and without pause. I also ask that you continue developing yourselves to be better skilled by the end of this term.”
He said the government’s plans would come to nought “if we do not change our approach”.
“As residents of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, we are a family — a family of different hues. Our diversity is not an impediment; it is an opportunity to know, understand, teach, and accept one another,” the king said.
“Let us unite in our diversity and work together for the betterment of our province. As residents of KwaZulu-Natal, we must go beyond simply tolerating each other; we must accept one another. We must accept that, while we are different, we are a family.”
MisuZulu added that he stood ready to assist in this and other initiatives to develop a sense of unity among the people of the province.