Zulu king angry at rivals’ remarks
K ING Goodwill Zwelithini, has reacted angrily to suggestions that he receives preferential treatment from the government compared to other traditional leaders, saying he is no “ordinary traditional leader”.
A fortnight ago the leader of the Congress of Traditional Leaders (Contralesa), Nkosi Phathekile Holomisa from the Eastern Cape, said the Zulu monarch was being favoured in the allocation of resources compared to other leaders.
“The Zulu king is treated differently from the Pondo king, the Pedi king, the Ndebele king and the Venda king,” said Holomisa in a Joburg newspaper article.
This comment angered many KwaZulu-Natal traditionalists, including IFP MP Albert Mncwango, who urged Holomisa to “stay out of our business” and proposed that King Zwelithini had a “distinct history and pure bloodline” and therefore “could not be compared to other kings”.
Now the king has entered the fray, urging traditional leaders from other provinces to stay out of his affairs as he has not said a word about the status of their kingship.
In his speech to the Zulu 200 ceremony – a function launching a series of events to celebrate more than 200 years of the consolidation of Zulus into one nation by King Shaka, the king objected to being compared to other traditional leaders.
“I am not just a so-called traditional leader. I am the bona fide king of the Zulus, born out of other great Zulu kings.
“In KwaZulu-Natal I am the only king. If they talk about how other provincial governments deal with their traditional leaders, they must know that KwaZulu-Natal is clear where it stands on this issue and on my status as the king.
“The provincial government is single-minded on this issue and it is one that makes the budget for the royal house,” said King Zwelithini.
“This matter of comparing me to other traditional leaders angers me.”
The king said his position, unlike those of others, was never a subject for courts or commissions but was backed by historical evidence dating back centuries.
Some leaders have had their claims for kingship rejected by a special presidential commission set up to investigate the basis of these claims.
The Zulu king also rejected media reports that he had spent R150 000 with his family and his officials at the Beverly Hills hotel in uMhlanga Rocks during his week-long visit to the eThekwini metro last week.
“I never slept at that hotel and it surprises me that it is reported that I spent time with my family there,” said the king.
He said he had come under attack in September and he did not understand why.
“It really surprises me because I do not interfere in anyone’s affairs and I only remain the king of the Zulus,” he said.
Members of the Zulu royal house said yesterday that they were baffled by the complaints that the monarch was treated differently from other traditional leaders because the critics should raise this issue with their provincial governments and they should attend to their affairs.
The constitution lays down rules for the provinces to make provision for and outline a monarch’s status, through their provincial constitutions.
However, given intense differences between the ANC and the IFP on the provincial constitution, no such constitution has been passed in KwaZuluNatal.
Instead, the Zulu king’s status has been catered for in an act of the provincial parliament.