Durban - King Goodwill Zwelithini has called on the provincial government to stop organising events on his behalf, and also said banners promoting the government should no longer be displayed, as they were being misused for campaigning purposes by “certain politicians”.
At the age of 64, the king said he wanted more power to run his nation the way it suited him.
Addressing thousands of people at an event commemorating his famous ancestor, King Shaka, he accused the government of undermining his authority. He also said money allocated for the royal family was being wasted on campaigning for elections.
The event took place in the KwaDukuza Municipality, which is named after King Shaka’s main palace, on Thursday.
Several senior provincial government leaders, including Premier Senzo Mchunu, were present. The king’s traditional prime minister, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, was also at the event.
The king said he could do a better job than the government of fighting crime, including the rape of women, children and even men.
Organising royal events should be the responsibility of the royal family and royal council, he said.
The provincial government, through the Office of the Premier and the Department of Arts and Culture, were the ones currently in charge of organising the events, and he wanted this to cease.
“No one else should organise these events again,” he said.
“Banners like these should never be displayed, because they are just here to campaign for elections,” said the king, pointing at banners for the Department of Arts and Culture and the Office of the Premier.
Some of the banners the king slammed carried the face of Premier Senzo Mchunu. The king said only royal banners and his face should be displayed at the royal functions.
“These banners don’t unite the nation. Only my banners and my face should be displayed here.”
The king said he was being accused of overspending taxpayers’ money while the budget allocated for his family’s upkeep was not serving the purpose it was meant for.
“Even my palaces are falling apart.”
He said the government did not want to admit that it had failed to stop the violence at the Glebelands and KwaMashu hostels in Durban.
“Politicians have dealt with the matter until they got exhausted. They are just shy to say: ‘Your Majesty, we have failed to solve this.’”
Next week he would announce a date on which he and his council would visit the hostels to talk peace.
He said he would be happy if the government could honour him with a 17-gun salute the way English rulers did to respect King Cetshwayo when he was installed on the throne.
“This is not because I want to overthrow the government. People keep saying I want to overthrow the government. If they are failing to run the government, they must not blame me,” the king said.
King Zwelithini also hit back at King Zanozuko Tyelovuyo Sigcau of the Mpondo nation in the Eastern Cape.
It was reported last month that King Sigcau referred to the Zulu king as inkwenkwe (a man who is not traditionally circumcised) and said he should stop interfering with circumcision in his Mpondo nation.
The Zulu king called his counterpart ufana (boy).
“There are now boys who are hurling insults at me just because the Nhlapho Commission had called them kings. They now ride over my head.”
His spokesman said the Mpondo royal family had tried to visit the Zulu king to offer an apology.
“They cannot just come. There are processes to be followed,” he said.
Premier Senzo Mchunu declined to comment on the issue of banners at events involving the king.
The Mercury