ADDRESS BY
MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI, MP
INKOSI OF THE BUTHELEZI CLAN
CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE OF TRADITIONAL LEADERS (KWAZULU NATAL)
AND UNDUNANKULU KAZULU
KWADUKUZA: September 21, 2002
The Honourable Master of Ceremonies; members
of the Royal House and amaKhosi present; Your Excellencies; members of the
diplomatic corps and honourable members of the Consular corps; our religious
leaders; the Mayor of KwaDukuza; the Mayor of Ilembe; the Honourable Premier
of KwaZulu Natal, Dr LPHM Mtshali and Mrs Mtshali; Honourable Ministers from
both the National Assembly and the KwaZulu Natal Legislature; members of
Parliament; members of provincial Parliaments; Chairpersons of Regional
Councils; their Worships the Mayors; Councillors and Indunas; members of the
various clans who comprise the Zulu Nation; our distinguished guests.
Once again we come together to celebrate the
memory of the founder of our nation. Year after year these celebrations
assume different connotations because out of our multi-faceted and complex
history, there are always lessons to be learned which are topical and
relevant to the present juncture of history. This year is no exception.
Looking at the many issues presently confronting public opinion in general,
and the Zulu Nation in particular, we can see how our history has lessons to
teach which have an immediate bearing on our daily lives.
As we recollect the times which forged our
nation under the skilful reign of King Shaka ka Senzangakhona, we are
tempted to place emphasis on the military genius of the founder of our
nation and on the many wars and battles which he won to build up our
Kingdom. Undoubtedly his skills in battle which made him the most fierce of
all warriors, and the many military techniques he developed to improve on
the art of war, were part of what made our Kingdom strong and successful.
However, battles are events which unfold in a single day, no matter how
fateful that day may be. The sun rises and then it sets on that fateful day,
leaving many days to follow during which the spoils of victory may be
consolidated into a fruitful and prosperous peace, or may forever be
foregone.
On this occasion I wish to focus our
attention on the deeds of the founder of our nation which followed the
glorious hours of the days spent on the battlefield. The Kingdom was not
only forged on the battlefield, but first and foremost on the way King Shaka
organised it as a coherent system of administration based on law and order
and on clear responsibilities. The rule of law was at the basis of the Zulu
Kingdom and is indeed one of the most important features of the legacy that
King Shaka bestowed on his posterity and on all of us.
King Shaka was a man of great integrity who
expected integrity, honour and responsibility from all those around him. Our
Kingdom was based on integrity. Integrity and honour are part and parcel of
our culture as Zulus and are the very essence of our Zuluness.
In this season of history in which integrity
and responsibility seem to be placed beyond greed, expedience and
self-interest, it is essential that the Zulu Nation gives visible proof of
being a nation which operates with integrity and honour. As Zulus, we should
be recognised as people of integrity, whether we operate as politicians or
as employees, employers, spouses, or in any other role which anyone may
perform in society. King Shaka was a proud man who did not use subterfuge to
defeat his adversaries. He was a strong administrator who did not tolerate
any corruption in his Kingdom. He expected each amaKhosi to pull their
weight in the administration of the Kingdom and did not allow any of them to
pursue their sectorial interests. We need to take heed of that lesson. As
Zulus, we must commit ourselves to eradicating any form of corruption, greed
or self-interest. We should allow no space for anyone who pursues his
self-interest above the general interests of all the people in our Province
and all the people of South Africa.
The unity of the Zulu Nation is essential to
ensure that the general interest and the common good are protected and
pursued. Now more than ever it is essential that the Zulu Nation acts in
unity and under a common vision and leadership. Divisions within the Zulu
Nation can only undermine our sense of self and the pride we have as a
nation. We have a great contribution to make towards the building of a
prosperous and secure South Africa, but we can only do so on the strength of
our unity. It is time that the Zulu Nation comes to terms with its real soul
and recognises that we are people of integrity who demand integrity from our
leaders and seek to express a common leadership of integrity for the whole
of our nation.
The unity of our nation hinges on the
resolution of the outstanding issues relating to the recognition of our
Kingdom. This item has been on the agenda of the central government for more
than eight years since April 19, 1994, when it was solemnly promised that
international mediation would resume as soon as possible after the April 27
elections to settle the issue of the Kingdom. Since then, no step has been
taken to recognise our Kingdom at the national level and those which were
taken at the provincial level, such as the adoption of a constitution for
the Province, were undermined. In the past eight years we have tackled the
most important, comprehensive and complex reforms, and yet we have not been
able even to begin dealing with the issue of our Kingdom nor with the many
questions relating to the institution of traditional leadership throughout
South Africa. Obviously, if nothing has been done thus far in this respect
it is because there has not been sufficient political will to do so.
This is very regrettable. Without a proper
legal and institutional framework for the recognition and protection of the
institution of traditional leadership, there cannot be any adequate
framework for the recognition and protection of our Kingdom. This will
deprive the Zulu people of their birthright which was created with the
formation of the Zulu Kingdom by the founder of our nation, King Shaka, and
was bequeathed as his living legacy to us by each of the Zulu kings who
followed in his footsteps. For many years I have tried to rally our nation
behind the institution of our monarchy and our present King. However, this
is not possible because of the unresolved issues which are still afflicting
our monarchy. Unless there is immediate action both by the national and
provincial governments to provide recognition for and regulation of our
monarchy, the real risk exists that with the rapidly changing features of
our society, our monarchy may become increasingly irrelevant. It is our role
to keep our monarchy relevant and, in so doing, to preserve the legacy of
what was begun by King Shaka.
This is a shared responsibility that all of
us as Zulus need to carry. After all, people throughout South Africa wonder
why the central government should be concerned about the Zulu monarchy, the
Zulu Kingdom and the amaKhosi of our Kingdom, if we ourselves as Zulus seem
not to be so concerned about them and we are divided on the issue. It is our
divisions which have allowed the pretext for the lack of integrity which has
characterised the dealings of the Government with amaKhosi and in respect of
the issue of our Kingdom. Those who have fomented such divisions, and indeed
those who have acted in a divisive fashion, bear the historical
responsibility of the present situation and may rightly be tainted with the
same lack of integrity.
It is essential that our nation establishes
structures and institutions which can bring it together in unity and with
purpose. We need purpose to transform our nation into an engine of
productivity and economic growth. Our nation is affected by poverty and
widespread unemployment. These problems are not going to disappear unless we
turn despair into hope, pessimism into optimism, idleness into
industriousness and indolence into productivity. We need to become a nation
at work, driven by imagination, ingenuity and optimism. We need to take
pride in working better and harder and producing more. There is not
sufficient efficiency and efficacy in either our government or our private
sector. Unless this is remedied the economy will not grow, jobs will not be
generated and the boundaries of poverty will not be set back. We need to
eliminate divisions to bring this about and we need to start working
together to ensure stronger ties of social solidarity at all levels. We need
a national call for growth and development. We need each person to help
somebody else to grow and everyone to help communities to develop.
This call for growth and development must cut
across existing divides, such as the ethnic divides in our Kingdom or those
between social classes or the rural and urban segments of our populations.
We must work together because the social pressures confronting all of us are
such that no segment of our population can benefit from any relative
prosperity unless the rest of our population has an opportunity to grow and
prosper. We need to find common cause in fighting the scourge of HIV/AIDS by
promoting the distribution of anti-retroviral drugs to those who are
infected with HIV and taking any possible measure to nurture those who are
suffering and their families.
We need to overcome the stigma associated
with HIV/AIDS and recognise that in our Province it is a reality which
affects each and every one of our families. It is time for all of us to
accept this reality, coming out of the syndrome of denial and the conspiracy
of silence. We need to unite as a nation to prevent the spreading of this
disease, to assist those who are infected and distribute to them any
available medical resources our country can muster. We can no longer allow
the terrible effects of this disease to be compounded by erroneous behaviour
by communities or by government.
We must accept that under the present
circumstances of history, our nation must count on its strength,
industriousness and productivity to overcome its present hard times and the
even harder times lying ahead. The world economy is facing a likely
recession which will affect emerging markets such as South Africa more than
those of more developed countries. We must draw on our culture of self-help
and self-reliance to promote development wherever we can, however we can,
starting from food security in rural areas all the way to creating
opportunities for micro-economic growth throughout our Province.
In so doing, we must walk the uphill path
ahead of us with integrity, courage and dedication. We must walk upright and
with the pride of being Zulus. We must bear testimony to the glory in which
our Kingdom was forged by King Shaka and have the optimism that this glory
will be matched by the achievement of the contributions which the Zulu
Nation can make towards the forging of an economically prosperous and
socially stable South Africa.
On the day when we commemorate the man who
founded us as the once most powerful Nation in Southern Africa, King Shaka,
we are fortunate that we do so surrounding his heir and successor, who is
our present King. Recently the King celebrated the 30th
anniversary of his enthronement. This makes this year's celebration a very
special occasion as the year in which our King celebrated being on the
throne of King Shaka for 30 years. Except for King Mpande, none of the
King's forebears reigned for that length of time. We thank the Lord Almighty
and our ancestral spirits who have made this possible.
I am honoured and privileged to present our
King to give us his message for today. Long live the King
|