ANC leader yanks mic from Zulu prime minister
● Political tensions in KwaZulu-Natal played out glaringly in the presence of Zulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini and President Cyril Ramaphosa when the ANC’s KwaZulu-Natal chair, Siboniso Duma, snatched the microphone away from Zulu traditional prime minister Thulasizwe Buthelezi at an event to commemorate King Dinuzulu KaCetshwayo in KwaCeza yesterday.
Buthelezi, who is also a senior leader in the IFP and the Zululand district municipality mayor, was about to introduce the king when Duma stood up and grabbed the microphone. In his introductory remarks, Buthelezi had criticised the provincial government’s treatment of King Misuzulu — but he was not allowed to finish his speech.
Before the mic was grabbed by Duma, Buthelezi said: “Our only request, Your Excellency, is for the provincial government of KZN to emulate your example of respecting our king. A senior leader of the ANC in this province, Mr Bheki Mtolo, who is in fact the ...” He did not finish his sentence.
Upon snatching the mic, Duma made a counteraccusation, blaming Buthelezi for the circus that ensued.
“I ask that we respect the significance of this day. Shenge [Buthelezi], please sit down. We thought you were coming here to introduce the king. You are disrespecting this momentous gathering. You are becoming clumsy, and we respect this position because your predecessor respected government programmes,” said Duma.
When the king took to the podium, he tried to calm the situation. “I’d like to remind all of you here today that you are all my subjects,” he said.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has yet to acknowledge Buthelezi’s appointment as traditional prime minister. Some senior leaders deny even being aware of his appointment.
Recently, at the provincial legislature in Pietermaritzburg, the king introduced Buthelezi in the presence of the cabinet, including Duma, when he said: “I am aware that some of you don’t know him [Buthelezi].”
Contacted by the Sunday Times, Buthelezi said Duma’s conduct showed a dismal lack of respect for the king and the president. He also defended his introductory speech for the king: “As the prime minister, when I introduce the king, a government cannot prescribe what I should or should not say.”
Buthelezi said if the ANC in the province did not like what he said in his capacity as prime minister, it did not give it the right to disrespect the king and the president by doing what Duma did.
Buthelezi’s traditional prime minister role makes him the commander-in-chief of the amabutho, the king’s regiments.
“Today I had to restrain amabutho who wanted to confront Duma for the disrespect he showed the king. If the president of the country can acknowledge me as the king’s prime minister, I don’t understand why the ANC in the province cannot do the same. I did not appoint myself. What they are doing is not [only disrespectful] to me, it’s [also] disrespectful to the king,” Buthelezi said.
The IFP is the ANC’s political arch-rival in KwaZulu-Natal ahead of the May 29 general election. Ramaphosa used the event to respond to multiple threats of violence, including warnings that the election could be disrupted from the MK Party led by former president Jacob Zuma.
“Today, society is burdened by leaders who refuse to be led. They use their past and current leadership roles to sow division, fear and hate,” Ramaphosa said. “They threaten violence and mayhem against the democratic state and its laws. Let me be clear, as I have been: this we will not allow.”
The president emphasised the duty of following in the footsteps of King Dinuzulu and forging ahead with unifying the nation. He said today’s leaders should emulate King Dinuzulu.
He called for unity, saying: “We must resist and defeat the merchants of destruction that are in our midst, just as King Dinuzulu did. His wars were all wars for peace and [the] restoration of the dignity of the Zulu kingdom and its people.
“The king did not fight battles of greed and unchecked power for selfish gain. He did not ascend to the throne to enrich himself and ignore the plight of his people.”
Ramaphosa’s speech came just days after MK Party interim youth leader Bonginkosi
Khanyile unequivocally said there would be violence going into the elections. He suggested there would be no elections in the country if Zuma’s name were not on the ballot paper for May 29.
Khanyile’s comments came soon after those of another MK Party leader, Visvin Reddy, who said there would not be any elections if the party were not allowed to contest them.
Ramaphosa said: “Those who threaten violence in a democratic society — we will take them head on. I am warning them we will not allow bloodshed. South Africa is no place for violent behaviour.”
The president added that King Dinuzulu “would be proud of us” as a result of his party’s “pro-poor policies”.
He praised the king’s anti-colonial legacy, as well as his embrace of education and love of the arts.