King Goodwill Zwelithini was no man of straw
One cannot fathom the depth of disrespect that would lead Mr Chris Barron to pen such a malicious obituary, before his majesty the king of the Zulu nation had even been laid to rest, “A monarch who wielded real power” (March 16).
Painting the late king as a petulant prima donna, Mr Barron attempts to reduce his majesty to nothing more than a “ceremonial figurehead”.
How did we return to the days when colonial masters reduced our amakhosi to “tribal chiefs”, and our kings to “paramount chiefs” magnanimously “appointed” by a “bantu administration”?
His majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini ka Bhekuzulu sat on the throne of kings who waged war against the loss of our sovereign identity.
Our nation paid in blood through the Anglo-Zulu War; our kingdom was dismembered and our kings imprisoned. It was King Zwelithini’s great-grandfather, King Dinuzulu, who waged the last war against colonial oppression in SA.
Accordingly, the Zulu monarch and the Zulu nation are recognised in SA’s democratic dispensation. Our king is not a straw man.
Beyond mere disrespect, Mr Barron’s obituary contains innumerable lies.
It would take more space than your Letters section allows to respond seriatim to all of them.
Considering the deep insult to the Zulu Nation, I ask that such space be afforded in your next edition.
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, MP and traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch and nation
We need wisdom of Solomon
Many in SA and the world cannot afford tertiary education. Most countries cannot afford to provide free education. And so we have a tragic situation with no winners.
Many students are angry, and have a right to peaceful protest, but violence and damaging infrastructure will not help.
If there were easy answers the government would have implemented these. After all, the situation benefits nobody.
We need to find the wisdom of Solomon to find solutions and compromises.
Martin Zagnoev, Johannesburg
When there is just one side
In Peter Bruce’s column he mentions that he picks arguments with himself and occasionally his wife to try to sort out the balance between what appears to be his position (on the one hand) and what might be a defendable opposing position (on the other hand).
I had the good fortune to have an excellent English teacher, whose enthusiasm for debating motivated me to take it up and become captain of the school’s debating team.
The beauty of debating is that in any competition, one does not get to choose a side.
You are told that this is the subject and you are either for or you are against, resulting in you developing an open mind and being able to shift your opinion.
The outcome of this wonderful learning experience is that I developed the ability to explore all sides of every situation in life and I ended up becoming a recognised “arbitrator” in a number of life’s circumstances, earning me the nickname “Neil on the one hand”.
In this past Sunday’s edition, there were so many articles in which there is no “other hand” and yet the parties involved behave as if there is no action required.
To wit: Busisiwe Mkhwebane being not competent enough to hold such a responsible job.
Zuma, Molefe, Singh, et al. You must be joking? The fact that Raymond Zondo must tolerate their behaviour.
The on-off revelations about CR17 funding.
The documented “step-aside” regulations that are ignored.
To wrap up with kind consideration of these dreadful situations, I see we are not alone.
The US finds itself in similar situations regarding not only Donald Trump (whose actions align so closely with those of Jacob Zuma) but the whole Grand Old Party supporting him.
Neil Cochran, Boksburg
It’s elementary, Eskom
The entire charade of rolling blackouts and power cuts is becoming ridiculous.
News bulletins tell us we are deprived because of a leaking pipe or a torn conveyor belt, or that it has rained on the coal. Is there any country that has cut power because of a leaking pipe?
Eskom has lost the plot and is incapable of fixing this mess.
I can offer it advice that will solve the country’s electricity shortage problems: install more wall plugs.
It’s simple, Watson — more plugs, more power. No more crisis. Please pass this up the chain of command.
Dr Peter C Baker, Parktown North
Two years for JZ just a start
Even though the Constitutional Court ordered Jacob Zuma to appear before the Zondo commission, it was always going to be highly unlikely that Zuma would cooperate in any way.
Expecting Zuma to do so is like putting swim fins on your cat and expecting it to happily swim the Midmar Mile after being forced into the dam.
I just hope they made it clear to Zuma that the two-year prison sentence for failing to appear would not absolve him from further potential sentences from the corruption trials that would follow.
Getting a mere two years for such a destructive looting spree is hardly a deterrent.
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