Durban - King Goodwill Zwelithini has taken a swipe at the apartheid government for dividing his kingdom, even requiring passports for people to cross over to Umzimkhulu. Zwelithini labelled the move as “unheard-of nonsense”.
The king was speaking in Kokstad on Sunday where he welcomed about 280 initiates.
The king said it was puzzling that the business hub of Kokstad had once been removed from KZN and designated as a white South African territory.
He further said the apartheid government was so brazen, it even created a border in the town of Umzimkhulu.
During this part of his speech he spoke about the 1982 failed attempt by the apartheid government to cut off Ingwavuma from the then-homeland of KwaZulu and incorporate it into the neighbouring kingdom of eSwatini.
The apartheid government negotiated with the late King Sobhuza of eSwatini to block Umkhonto we Sizwe fighters from using the Ingwavuma crossing point. In return, the king demanded that the apartheid government give his country the Ingwavuma portion, which he claimed historically belonged to his kingdom.
The apartheid government agreed and signed the incorporation agreement. However, the move was aborted when Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi, as the chief minister of the homeland, challenged the move in court and won.
“They once divided the Zulu kingdom and said Kokstad is in Natal and Umzimkhulu is in the Eastern Cape. These people were very arrogant. How can you come and divide other people’s land and its people, give it to others without consulting them? They divide it until there are times people are required to use passports to cross over. We used to visit each other without a problem They did this just to undermine us. Just like what they did in 1982 when they wanted to take Ingwavuma land and give it to certain people (eSwatini). We fought hard to stop that,” the king said.
The king also spoke against gender-based violence, telling men to stop killing and raping women. He said true men know that a woman deserves to be treated with respect.
“From the beginning of this month, everyone, wherever he is, must, when he meets with a woman, protect her instead of thinking of sleeping with her and later kill her No one should look at her and think he must sleep with her The best respect a man can do for a woman is protect her and escort her home safely From now onwards in the Zulu kingdom, the killing of one another must come to an end,” he said.
He also expressed his joy that all the 280 boys who took part in the health department’s supervised process of circumcision came back alive. He blasted unqualified people for carrying out circumcisions, resulting in loss of life.