Protector jibe at Zuma wedding

Khulubuse Zuma and his bride Princess Fikisiwe Dlamini who were married yesterday ( Saturday) at Nkandla. Picture: Bongani Mbatha

Khulubuse Zuma and his bride Princess Fikisiwe Dlamini who were married yesterday ( Saturday) at Nkandla. Picture: Bongani Mbatha

Published Sep 15, 2014

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Durban - A Zulu regiment, armed with sticks and dancing and singing to celebrate the marriage of President Jacob Zuma’s nephew to a Swazi princess at the weekend, chanted veiled warnings to Public Protector Thuli Madonsela to leave the president and his Nkandla home alone.

The amaButho began the chant in a kraal during the traditional prayer in which Zuma led the family to introduce Khulubuse Zuma’s new bride, Princess Fikisiwe Dlamini, to the family’s ancestors.

“Thuli Madonsela akazi lutho ngaleyonto u Zuma”, they sang, which translated means: “Thuli Madonsela, Zuma does not know what you are accusing him of.”

 

Before the song started, Swazi women entered the kraal and stacked spears on the ground.

Khulubuse then danced in jubilation.

As the regiment sang, they hit their shields with their sticks as if preparing to attack an enemy.

 

Resident Sipho Mkhize, who was part of the regiment, said the song had been composed recently after Zuma supporters had heard a debate involving Madonsela on Nkandla.

“You cannot really say who composed that song. We all sing it now because we support Zuma, and Madonsela must leave him alone,” he said.

It is not the first time Zuma’s supporters have composed songs in his defence directed at his adversaries. In 2005, Maskandi group Izingane Zoma released a song, Msholozi, in support of him during his rape trial.

The SABC banned the song.

It said the lyrics implied that Parliament was sabotaging the will of the people who wanted Zuma to become president.

Professor Nogwaja Zulu, from UKZN’s arts school, said song in the Zulu culture could be composed to press home a point – good or bad.

 

“There were many such songs during the apartheid era. If you remember, there was a song that went: ‘Oliver Tambo, Oliver Tambo, theta noBotha akhulule uMandela (Oliver Tambo, speak to (PW) Botha to release (Nelson) Mandela)’.

“It wasn’t sung for the sake of it; it was a message to the government to release certain people. There were many of those songs, even before the struggle days,” he said.

 

“Some of them catch on easily. It’s not that they sprout from nowhere. People get together, put together a few words and it’s a song,” he said.

At the weekend the Swazi delegation, which included queens, princes and princesses, stopped at the Khangela Royal Palace in Nongoma to receive a blessing from King Goodwill Zwelithini.

The palace is the home of Queen Mantombi, a Swazi princess who married into the Zulu royal family in 1977 and who is also the bride’s aunt.

 

“When we left, we were presented with three cattle,” said Prince Mbuyusa Dlamini, the brother of Swazi King Mswati III.

He said the wedding had deepened the relationship between the Zulu and Swazi nations.

King Zwelithini married his second Swazi wife, Zola Mafu, last month.

 

King Mswati was represented by his four brothers – princes Sqethuko, Mbuyisa, Sphusigazi and Mguqiso. All are children of the late King Sobhuza III.

Part of the proceedings included a civil ceremony where the bride and groom exchanged vows.

 

 

Dressed in their cultural regalia, a traditional council led them through their “I dos”

.

“Do you love Zuma,” said the council.

“Yebo ngiyamthanda (yes, I love him),” replied the bride.

The guests, who included the Zulu royal family, were treated to meat throughout the weekend as at least 20 cattle were slaughtered.

Khulubuse’s spokeswoman, Siwe Khumalo, had said that the family had prepared enough food for everyone to eat at any time.

Businessman Don Mkhwanazi, Education MEC Peggy Nkonyeni and the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Bheki Cele, were among the guests.

The Mercury

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