Nongoma - Buoyed by the success of the second leg of the annual Zulu reed dance ceremony at Enyokeni Royal Palace in Nongoma and the support he received there, King Misuzulu KaZwelithini took a jab at his brother, Prince Simakade, who is fighting him for the throne.
Throughout his speech, the longest since he became monarch in May last year, the king occasionally turned his brother into the butt of his jokes.
However, towards the end of his address the king took a hard stance and slammed his brother and his backers.
It all started when the king had to pause his speech because of excited Zulu maidens who kept on interrupting him by doing the traditional Zulu dance and ululating.
Joking, the king said the support they had given him would send some people to hospital to be treated for shock and stress.
"Some people will spend a night in hospital because of this (excitement and embrace of me)," he said, and laughed derisively.
The king then continued with his address, often turning to the speech Prince Simakade delivered at Enyokeni last month after he performed the ritual of entering the kraal and being declared king by his supporters.
"I won't say I am working and have my wealth," he said, turning the claim by Prince Simakade that he is rich and therefore cannot be written off as a joke.
Still on the subject of Prince Simakade, he shredded him by telling the maidens that "unlike others, I am at your mercy… I am here to serve you, not the other way round“.
The most serious part of the king’s speech came towards its close, when he turned his attention to the ongoing fight for the throne that is now in the Pretoria High Court, after Prince Simakade took the dispute there.
The king said it was puzzling that he and his supporters hardly ever threw insults at the other faction, but they were frequently insulted.
Despite all that, he said he and his supporters wished no harm or evil against them.
"I still insist that home is home. They must come back home. They will bow and call me their brother even when they don’t like it. We always talk about the issue of accepting (the reality), but they must now accept (this reality over the throne). We harbour no grudge against them, (and) we wish no evil upon them, even though they are always wishing evil things (on us).
"We are waiting for them to come back to occupy their seats. The seats are still empty after they vacated them. They must come back to take them," the king said.
He said he encouraged unity and reconciliation in the royal house.
"In that regard, I am saying there must be reconciliation in the royal house – there must be unity. We need each other as a nation. Everyone has a role here. Everyone is important."
It was not only the king who took a dig at Prince Simakade and his people.
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the king’s traditional prime minister, drew first blood.
Taking to the podium to introduce the king, as is the custom, Buthelezi joked that it was like he was dreaming that indeed King Misuzulu KaZwelithini had eventually taken the Zulu throne that was being contested.
He said: “It is like one is dreaming… dreaming.” The crowd screamed. Furthermore, he told the king that his father, the late King Goodwill Zwelithini, was around and watching him.
He then said Prince Simakade was crowning himself.
"We even saw Prince Simakade entering the kraal and crowning himself the king," he said.
Meanwhile, stopping short of apologising outright to the Zulu monarch and nation for the confusion caused by the government memo that unilaterally announced that the venue for the annual reed dance was no longer Enyokeni but rather KwaKhangalemankengane, KwaZulu-Natal’s acting premier, Nomagugu Simelane, pledged support for the royal family.
Simelane told the cultural extravaganza that the provincial government was committing itself that they would never work with those who were trying to undo the Zulu legacy started by the great King Shaka.
She said the provincial government stood behind the royal house.
"We will not work with those who are trying to undo our legacy… the provincial government will always work with and support the royal house," Simelane, who was standing in for Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, said.
The pledge to stand behind the king came from several quarters. Among those who pledged it was Inkosi Sifiso Shinga, who chairs the KZN House of Traditional Leaders, who said it would go wherever the king went.
Shinga added that King Misuzulu was the only recognised king of the Zulu nation.
The reed dance was attended by over 10 000 maidens who came from all corners of KZN.