mbathang – Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Harry Oppenheimer Trust

National Assembly Pays Tribute to Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi

The National Assembly (NA) yesterday paid tribute to Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) founder and leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who died last month and who, at the time of his death, was the NA’s longest serving MP (1994–2023). Representatives from all political parties in the NA shared their memories of Prince Buthelezi.

The Democratic Alliance’s leader, Mr John Steenhuisen, described Prince Buthelezi as a man of impeccable manners and great compassion. “Prince Buthelezi was a friend of royalty, presidents and prime ministers, yet [he] retained a humbleness that made him relatable to the man on the street. He cared deeply about the plight of his fellow man and dedicated his life to improving the lot of those who’s suffering he felt so deeply,” he said. Mr Steenhuisen also recollected how Prince Buthelezi was able to play the role of elder statesman in the NA, always rising to calm troubled waters when conflict arose.

Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi spoke on behalf of the Economic Freedom Fighters, saying, “We consider him to have formed part of important black leaders who were confronted by a very difficult hour in the history of black people’s emancipation, playing a crucial role in peace and political stability alongside Mandela, Mbeki and Zuma.”

Prince Buthelezi’s successor as President of the IFP and party leader in Parliament, Mr Velenkosini Hlabisa, referred to Prince Buthelezi as his mentor, leader and one of the greatest statesmen democratic South Africa has ever had, who made a profound contribution into the liberation struggle. “He became the voice of reason in this House and rose to restore the decorum when the dignity of Parliament was undermined by unbefitting behaviour,” Mr Hlabisa recalled.

Mr Pieter Groenewald, the leader of the Freedom Front Plus, said South Africans can learn a lot from the legacy of Prince Buthelezi. “What South Africa needs is respect. Respect ourselves, respect other people’s different cultures and respect for South Africa. And Buthelezi was a symbol of that. He was a real example and a symbol of enhancing the decorum of the House. He was a person who also contributed in a positive way in terms of the future of South Africa,” Mr Groenewald said.

The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), through its leader Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, described the late veteran MP as an exceptional leader who made great contribution to the history of South Africa. “This extraordinary man’s immeasurable contribution to freedom, constitutionalism, peace, justice, equality and democracy, [and] nation building has been acknowledged both locally and internationally.

“The ACDP will remember the leadership which Prince Buthelezi gave to this House and his voice of reason that often restored order in this House. We honour him for his lifetime of service to South Africa as a champion of our liberation struggle and a respected statesman of our democratic era,” Reverend Meshoe said.

Ms Thandiswa Marawu of the African Transformation Movement remembered Prince Buthelezi as a wonderful leader not only in politics, but in defending and protecting the culture of the Zulu nation at large. She also commended Prince Buthelezi for championing service delivery, community development and building infrastructure, including financial and higher education institutions and agricultural cooperations during his time as Chief Minister of the erstwhile KwaZulu homeland.

The last party on the speakers list to pay condolences to Prince Buthelezi was the African National Congress in the form of the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor. She acknowledged that the passing of the one of South Africa’s longest serving politicians has left a vacuum in Parliament and in our nation.

“Shenge, as he was fondly known by many, was many things but we can all agree that he was a towering figure both in the Zulu nation and within the country. At the ripe age of 95 he had truly lived his life to the fullest. His legacy is one of service to his people, having dedicated more than seven decades to public service,” she pointed out.

Dr Pandor concluded by saying, “Prince Buthelezi was always committed to servant leadership, self-help and self-reliance and his dream, until the end of his life, was to create a just, prosperous and moral society whose citizens engage with each other on the basis of respect and ubuntu.”

Source: www.parliament.gov.za

Letter: Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi obituary

Away from the public eye and the outgoing cultural ceremonies of the Zulu people, Mangosuthu Buthelezi was a reserved figure, and his faith was important to him.

His Christianity was that of a member of the Anglican Church of the province of South Africa, and I first met him four decades ago while spending six months as a priest at All Saints’ Church, Melmoth, in KwaZulu-Natal.

He was not given to exuberant Evangelical outbursts, but lived out his faith day to day, expressed in what he saw as his duty to the people around him and thus to the nation he led. His New Year sermon to the City of London in the early 1990s was a model of quiet, confident faith, and he instituted regular prayer breakfasts in Durban on the American model to which up to 100 people would be invited.

By David Evans

Source: https://www.theguardian.com

Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s body returns home ahead of state burial

Several traditional Amabutho warriors regiments and Inkatha Freedom Party supporters have paid tributes to the late Zulu Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

His remains were taken from the local mortuary and sent to his family household ahead of Sunday’s state funeral. Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the erstwhile anti-apartheid activist, Zulu Prime Minister and historic leader of Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) passed away on Saturday 9 September aged 95.

“I am deeply saddened to announce the passing of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi… Traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and Nation, and the Founder and President Emeritus of the Inkatha Freedom Party,” Predident Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement.

“Buthelezi has been an outstanding leader in the political and cultural life of our nation, including the ebbs and flows of our liberation struggle, the transition which secured our freedom in 1994 and our democratic dispensation,” Ramaphosa said.

Details of Buthelezi’s funeral, which would traditionally happen on a weekend, have not been announced.

“He quietly and painlessly stepped into eternity in the early hours of the morning” Buthelezi’s family said in a statement.

“It will be hard for me to sleep at night in the next coming days” the Zulu monarch, Misuzulu Zulu, said during a televised speech at the annual “reed dance” ceremony in KwaZulu-Natal province.

“As you all know we worked together a lot until the very end, we got along well, I respected him,” the king said.

Buthelezi, was discharged last week from hospital after a prolonged stay.

Born of royal blood on August 27, 1928, Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi was to some the embodiment of the Zulu spirit: proud and feisty. To others, he bordered on a warlord.

For years he was defined by his bitter rivalry with South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC), a party that was his political home until he broke away to form IFP in 1975.

He led the party from its inception, until the age of 90.

Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi to be laid to rest

The funeral of the late Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) founding President and Traditional Prime Minister of the Zulu Nation, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, will take place on Friday, 15 September 2023.

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government, as well as the Buthelezi family, made the announcement after a short meeting on Sunday.

“The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, has confirmed that there is ongoing communication with The Presidency on the funeral arrangements. The Premier stated that the funeral service and the associated ceremonial logistics will be communicated in due course,” the provincial government said in a statement.

“Prince Buthelezi passed away on Saturday morning at the age of 95…”

Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of the passing of Prince Buthelezi, the KwaZulu-Natal Executive Council, led by the Premier, visited KwaPhindangene in Nkonjeni, uLundi, to pay respects to the family.

Dube-Ncube said Prince Buthelezi was a giant whose footsteps are etched indelibly on the canvas of time, and his role in the negotiations, which led to the democratic transition was emphatic.

“His passing is equivalent to the burning down of a library as Prince Buthelezi was an unmatched chronicler and an encyclopaedia of our history. His memory was, even until his passing, photographic and his storytelling the stuff of international theatres.

“As he transitions to the world of ancestors, our hearts are deeply pained by the loss. On behalf of the government and people of KwaZulu-Natal we doff our hats to Prince Buthelezi for his own part in seeking to work for the people of our country. May his soul rest in peace,” Dube-Ncube said.

Meanwhile, in their quest to grieve the sad passing of Prince Buthelezi in private, while accommodating mourners who are streaming in to pay their respects, the family has set up a marquee at the entrance of the homestead where a daily service will be held at 5pm.

The family has thanked South Africans from all walks of life for the outpouring of messages of condolences as they mourn the sad passing of the family head. – SAnews.gov.za

Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi: honouring the sons of Africa

PRINCE MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI

What can one say in response to such an eloquent and thought-provoking lecture delivered by such an illustrious son of Africa? I can only thank Your Excellency, Dr Obasanjo, for travelling to be with us and for giving us the gift of your profound insight into the realities of our continent, both past and present. Above all, however, we appreciate your vision for the future, for it is hope, more than anything else, that will sustain us in our pursuit of Africa’s highest aspirations.

In being the servant of us, as the people of Africa, for so many decades, His Excellency has hardly any peers. It is humbling indeed to have such an eminent and respected African leader accept the invitation to deliver this inaugural lecture. More so because the invitation did not come from me, I would have been very shy to approach His Excellency to speak about our friendship, about the work I have done to secure liberty, democracy, and justice, and about so much that he has done to serve all of us as people of Africa.

However, the Board of the Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Foundation invited His Excellency to speak and received his kind confirmation before they informed me of this wonderful news! Of course, I was delighted not only by the prospect of hearing His Excellency’s wisdom but by the opportunity to see him again.

We were last in one another’s company at His Excellency’s 82nd birthday, in Ogun State, Nigeria, in March 2019, when he invited me to deliver a lecture hosted by the Centre for Human Security and Dialogue of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library. The theme I was given for that lecture was: “Colonialism, Apartheid, Freedom and South Africa Rising”.

Even with a broad theme like that, I know how difficult it is to condense everything that could be said into the few things that must be said. I therefore applaud His Excellency for giving us pearls of wisdom. What he said here today is exactly what needs to be said and what we need to hear. Let us take heed and consider how South Africa might benefit from the renewed perspective we have been offered.

I have been tremendously blessed in these twilight years of my life to spend time with several of the great men and women with whom I engaged Africa’s liberation struggle. In the very year that His Excellency Dr Obasanjo invited me to Nigeria again, I was invited by His Royal Highness Inkosi Yama Nkosi Mpezeni IV of Zambia to attend the 2019 Nc’wala Traditional Ceremony.

During that visit, arrangements were made for me to meet again with His Excellency, former President Kenneth Kaunda, in Lusaka. Looking back now, I thank the Almighty for His intervention, for not only would the Covid-19 pandemic shut down international travel just months after these trips, but there would sadly not be another opportunity for me to see the late Dr Kenneth Kaunda.

President Kaunda is revered by all of us here for the risks and sacrifices that he and the people of Zambia made for our liberation. It is wonderful to know that we have in our presence today the son of former President Kaunda, His Excellency Ambassador Panji Kaunda.

Four years ago, at my 90th birthday celebrations, Ambassador Kaunda brought a beautiful message of congratulations from his father. We are pleased to have him with us again, together with His Excellency Ambassador George Zulu, who did so much to arrange my last meeting with my old friend, the first President of the Republic of Zambia.

Those two visits to His Excellency Dr Obasanjo and His Excellency Dr Kaunda were a balm to my soul. After decades of enduring an intense campaign of vilification for accepting to lead the erstwhile KwaZulu Government and for founding Inkatha, my pain was finally lifted by Dr Kaunda’s frank account of history on that occasion.

He declared that the Frontline States and the ANC’s mission-in-exile had agreed in 1974 that I should be asked to found a membership-based organisation within South Africa to reignite political mobilisation towards freedom. There was, they said, no one better suited to this task.

They knew that I had accepted the leadership of KwaZulu on the instruction of my leader and mentor, Inkosi Albert Luthuli, who, together with Mr Oliver Tambo, urged me not to refuse – even though our movement, the ANC, rejected the homelands system. They believed that I could undermine the system of apartheid from within as part of a multi-strategy approach to our liberation struggle. That is a mission I am proud to have accomplished, protecting the citizenship not only of the people of this Province but that of all black South Africans. This was the genius of our leader, Inkosi Albert Luthuli.

President Kaunda and the Frontline States knew that I was a loyal cadre, ready to take instruction. And I did take instruction, just as they anticipated. When I visited President Kaunda in 1974 to thank him for giving sanctuary to all our exiles, he spoke on behalf of the Frontline States, advising me to found a liberation organisation within our country so that the struggle could continue on our own soil while it was waged from outside by the banned ANC.

Upon my return to South Africa, with Mr Oliver Tambo’s approval, I founded Inkatha.

Despite all that has been said against me, that is the measure of my loyalty. Even when gross propaganda was turned against me, I remained loyal. (When my grand-nephew, His Majesty, spoke just now, I was almost moved to tears, thinking of the vilification I have suffered.) My loyalty was to the cause of liberation through non-violent means. It was the cause that my uncle, Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme, laid at the foundation of Africa’s oldest liberation movement. It was the cause that Inkosi Luthuli and Bishop Alphaeus Zulu impressed upon me. And it was the cause that I followed, regardless of personal cost.

It is truly a blessing at this stage in my life to recall the Heads of State in Africa and throughout the world who warmly welcomed me during our liberation struggle because they knew my credentials and my commitment to the cause. Regardless of what I suffered because of unjust lies from within the movement I grew up in, the truth could not be hidden from Africa’s greatest leaders.

When I consider the awards I have received and the friendships I have enjoyed, I am reminded that truth always conquers. It always emerges, one way or another, and it cannot be suppressed forever. I want to thank His Excellency Dr Obasanjo for telling us the truth today. It is only when we work with facts and truth that we are able to overcome obstacles, solve problems and achieve our full potential.

That is my hope, not only for South Africa, but for the whole of this continent. More than a hundred years ago, Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme delivered a speech in London that has been studied and quoted by scholars and leaders again and again. It was titled, “The Regeneration of Africa”. In part, he said:

“The brighter day is rising upon Africa. Already I seem to see her chains dissolved, her desert plains red with harvest, her Abyssinia, and her Zululand the seats of science and religion, reflecting the glory of the rising sun from the spires of their churches and universities. Her Congo and her Gambia whitened with commerce, her crowded cities sending forth the hum of business, and all her sons employed in advancing the victories of peace – greater and more abiding than the spoils of war…”

I feel that Dr Obasanjo’s words today have picked up on the theme of Dr Seme’s words. There is still a brighter day that will rise upon Africa.

I am humbled to know that we – Dr Obasanjo, Dr Kaunda, and I – have done our part to push back the darkness and see the sun rise.

I shall never forget, for whatever is left of my life, what His Excellency Dr Obasanjo did for me in 1976. He arranged for me to be in Lagos on the very day that Transkei celebrated its bogus independence by inviting me to speak at the Nigerian Institute for International Affairs. In fact, he sent plane tickets for me, for my wife, Princess Irene, for my Private Secretary, Mr Eric Ngubane and Mr Gibson Thula.

Today, he has blessed me again.

I have been honoured by Dr Obasanjo’s lecture today, and I was honoured by Dr Kaunda’s words in 2019. There is no way for me to repay them. But I would like to honour them.

I have asked, therefore, that the Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Foundation institute an annual award to be bestowed upon exceptional individuals whose life and work is dedicated to the advancement of humanity, peace, development, freedom, and democracy. There is no one better to receive the first Awards of the Foundation than His Excellency Dr Olusegun Obasanjo and, posthumously, His Excellency Dr Kenneth Kaunda.

Before we present these awards, allow me in closing to express my deepest gratitude to the Hon. Mr Velenkosini Hlabisa and the full Board of the Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Foundation, not only for making this wonderful occasion possible, but for accepting the enormous task of continuing my life’s work even beyond my own lifetime.

I must also express my joy at the presence of His Majesty King Misuzulu kaZwelithini. It is quite fitting that His Majesty is with us during this visit by one of the great sons of Africa, not because I am the King’s traditional Prime Minister, nor because he is my grand-nephew, but because the King himself is descended from the founder of Africa’s oldest liberation movement. Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme married the eldest daughter of King Dinuzulu, Princess Harriet Phikisile. Princess Phikisile was the first grandchild of King Cetshwayo, whose regiments engaged the Anglo-Zulu War and were victorious against the British at the Battle of Isandlwana. The Princess is the great grand-aunt of His Majesty our King.

I am pleased that His Excellency Dr Obasanjo spoke about King Cetshwayo today. When I visited the Castle in Cape Town, where my great-grandfather, King Cetshwayo, was imprisoned, they gave me a picture of King Cetshwayo taken on the day that he left for London to visit Her Majesty, Queen Victoria. I would like to present that historic picture to His Excellency Dr Obasanjo because I feel that today our history has come together.

Your Majesty, please know that I have heard your commands to me today as your servant. It shall be done according to your commands.

It would be remiss of me not to thank the Hon. Inkosi Patekile Holomisa and Inkosi Mandela for being with us today. In this province we have one King, but as Africans we are one people. Their presence today emphasises this.

We are cognisant of how special this moment is having His Majesty, His Excellency Dr Obasanjo, and Ambassador Kaunda in one room. I am pleased that some of Dr Seme’s family members are also with us.

Looking back at my life’s journey, I am truly blessed by the people who have walked it with me. All I can say is, “Thank you.”

Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi is the founder of Inkatha Freedom Party.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo Honours Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo delivers the first Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Annual Lecture at the International Convention Centre in Durban on Human Rights Day on Tuesday.

Obasanjo says Buthelezi displayed the qualities of being a leader from a young age.

“Even at a young age, Prince Buthelezi displayed bravery, which many people spend their whole lives searching for. Indeed it can only be an art of bravery and a common commitment to jeopardise your own future to take such a strong moral stand and in that act of bravery Prince Buthelezi inspired others to follow in his footsteps.”

Buthelezi, he says, was a pivotal figure in South African history, and he urged the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the African National Congress (ANC) to collaborate for the benefit of the South African people.

Thousands of people have gathered for the inaugural Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Annual Lecture at Durban’s ICC on Tuesday. Among the dignitaries are AmaZulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini and former ANC secretary general, Ace Magashule. The day coincides with the founding of the IFP in 1975.

“Selfless leader”

The former Nigerian President describes Prince Mangosuthu as a selfless leader. Obasanjo says Buthelezi’s involvement in the struggle, cost him his education.

“Together with his comrades in the ANCYL they were not disheartened by the 1948 electoral victory of the National Party and the implementation of the system of apartheid they saw this as the most opportune time to agitate, mobilise and organise under the clarion call of freedom in our lifetime.”

Earlier, IFP president, Velenkosini Hlabisa said Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi has served South Africans for over seventy years.

“The King of AmaZulu nation we are grateful to his majesty the King, he is with us to honour this historic day where the giant of Africa Dr Olusegun Obasanjo will share his knowledge of the great son of Africa Umntwana wakwa Phindangene. He is a man of the utmost integrity, who has dedicated more than 7 decades of his life to the service of the people of South Africa.”

Source: https://www.sabcnews.com/

Kenny Kunene and Patriotic Alliance pay respect to Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi

Durban – A Patriotic Alliance (PA) delegation led by the party’s deputy president, Kenny Kunene, met and received blessings from IFP Emeritus President Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi and the IFP top leadership in Ulundi, KwaZulu-Natal, on Monday.

Speaking to the Daily News, Kunene said the PA requested the meeting to formally introduce themselves to Buthelezi in his capacity as the traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch and nation.

“We will be campaigning and contesting elections in KwaZulu-Natal and we thought as a gesture of respect and courtesy, we should formally come to introduce ourselves to you and to let you know that we will be active in an area where citizens are predominantly your subjects.”

Kunene added that the PA’s mission “is to address pressing challenges facing millions of South Africans such as poverty, unemployment, crime and corruption, a mission we know you share”.

Kunene thanked Buthelezi and the IFP leadership for agreeing to meet the leadership of the Patriotic Alliance. Kunene said these challenges required the co-operation of political parties. At the meeting, Kunene also introduced PA member and former Fees Must Fall activist Bonginkosi Khanyile as the PA’s KwaZulu-Natal premier candidate for the 2024 elections.

Buthelezi said: “I appreciate your expression of your intentions; that the Patriotic Alliance intends campaigning in KwaZulu-Natal. I am sure you know that the IFP has always supported multi-party democracy and we welcome many voices representing our diverse people. If your intention is to serve and to meet needs and to create better local governance, I welcome you with open arms.”

He added: “I would like to welcome you to this meeting and thank you for requesting the opportunity to come and see me, as the traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch and nation. I appreciate your concern for protocol, and the respect you are showing towards the Zulu royal family and the Zulu nation.

“I must also thank you for accepting to meet with me together with the national executive committee of the IFP, the party that I founded and which I still serve as president emeritus. It is always beneficial for political leaders to exchange ideas and I felt that we should not miss this opportunity to discuss, even as politicians, how we might further what is a shared fight against the ills of our country.

Buthelezi said the meeting came at a pivotal time in the history of the Zulu nation, “for we are preparing for what has been termed the coronation of His Majesty King Misuzulu kaZwelithini”.

“In truth, this is not a coronation in the Western sense of the word, for His Majesty the King is already de facto and de jure on the throne. He has been recognised by the president and his position has been gazetted. He has undergone all rituals and fulfilled all traditions. What remains now is for the president of the republic to hand over the certificate of appointment. That will, as you know, take place on 29 October.”

Buthelezi added that this was a very busy time for the royal family and for those engaged in the arrangements for the ceremony.

“My role as traditional prime minister, a role that I have fulfilled now under three kings, has naturally positioned me as a champion of our traditional institutions, including the institution of traditional leadership. I have in fact served as Inkosi of the Buthelezi Clan for some 70 years.

“I understand and have a strong belief in the role that traditional leaders must play in the good governance of our people. I also believe strongly in the necessity of empowering people towards self-help and self-reliance, which in part is why I piloted the Ingonyama Trust Act through the KwaZulu Legislative Assembly in 1994, placing the land of the Zulu Kingdom into a trust, to remain as communal land administered by amakhosi.

“Now, these matters, related to my role as traditional prime minister, of course have implications in the political sphere. The issue of land reform, the issue of local governance, rural development, protecting the vulnerable – all these are matters that we as politicians deal with every day,” he said.

“This, too, is why I felt that it would be most beneficial for us to meet not only as a gesture of paying respect, but as leaders in our nation who face a common challenge; to meet the needs of our people. Particularly because that is done first and foremost at local level. Local government and even provincial government deals more closely with our people than national government. There is closer interaction.”

Buthelezi said the country “desperately needs leaders who are able and willing to genuinely serve”.

“I welcome a frank and open conversation on this and any other matter you wish to discuss. Thank you again for coming to see me.”

Source: Daily News

Prince Buthelezi Praised For Contribution to KZN, Parliament & Zulu Monarchy

JOHANNESBURG – KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube has thanked Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi for his invaluable contribution to the province, parliament, and to the Zulu monarchy.

This as Buthelezi celebrates his 94th birthday on Saturday. The Premier joined the ANC and the IFP in wishing Buthelezi well. She says the IFP founder is among the architects of our democracy and has been the voice of reason during a tumultuous period for the Zulu royal family.

Dube-Ncube’s spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya:

“Inkosi Buthelezi is not only an eminent statesman, but he has served our democracy as a minister with great distinction and humility and a living legend.”

Source: Eyewitness News

Isimemezelo Esimqoka Esikhishwa Ngokulayeza KweNgonyama

ISIMEMEZELO ESIMQOKA ESIKHISHWA NGOKULAYEZA KWENGONYAMA ESESIHLALWENI UMISUZULU KA ZWELITHINI SIKHISHWA NGUMNTWANA UMANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI UNDUNANKULU WENGONYAMA NOZULU NGOKUTHUNYWA YINKOSI YOHLANGA INGONYAMA KAZULU ESESIHLALWENI

Ngithunywa yiSilo Samabandla onke, Ingonyama kaZulu ukukhipha isaziso sokuthi ngoMgqibelo zingu-25 kuJune iSilo siyoya eNqineni ukuba sikwazi ukukhipha izikhali zeSilo esisizalayo, iNgonyama uZwelithini ka Bhekuzulu, sesikhipha ihlambo leSilo esikhothemeyo. Ngakusasa ngeSonto zingu-26 June 2022, kobe sekuyusuku lwehlambo leSilo esikhothemeyo eSigodlweni KwaKhangelamankengane. Leli yilona langa eliqondene nehlambo uqobo lwalo, usuku lweSonto.

Akubhekekile iSizwe seSilo ngosuku lweNqina lwangoMgqibelo mhlaka 25 June 2022. Yusuku nezintatheli ezingabakhona ngalo yusuku luka-26 June, ngeSonto eliqondene ngqo nehlambo. ISilo siyophelekezelwa yilabo abaseduzane eNqineni njengezifunda eziseduzane zakhona lapha kwaNongoma naseMahlabathini. Lolu kakuyilo usuku lukakhukhulelangoqo olunjengolweSonto olobaseSigodlweni lapho iSizwe sikhululeke ngalo khona ukubakhona eSigodlweni KwaKhangelamankengane.

Ngamanye amagama eNqineni yeSilo ngabomndeni ababaphambili. Akubhekiwe ubukhona bamaButho ngaphandle kweButho-nje elilodwa eliphelekezela iSilo. INqina futhi izoba esiQiwini, kayidingi abantu abaningi. Ngithunywe ukuba ngicacise ukuthi lezimemezelo ezithunyelwe kuMengameli wezwe ngencwadi; nguMntwana waseKhwezi uMntwana uMbonisi ka Bhekuzulu; zabuye zamenyezelwa nguye futhi uMntwana uMbonisi ka Bhekuzulu kanye nesinye esesibuye futhi sakhishwa nguMntwana uMxolisi ka Bhekuzulu, zokuthi kunemisebenzi yokuhlambulula zonke iZigodlo zeSilo, zimemezelo ezingaveli khona eSilweni esisesihlalweni naseNdlunkulwini kaZulu. Yinto lena abayishoyo engakaze yenzakale nasekukhothameni kwaMakhosi onke kaZulu ayisishiyagalombili asake abusa iSizwe saKwaZulu kusukela eLembeni, kuze kufike eNgonyameni uBhekuzulu ka Solomon.

Akaze kugezwe nesisodwa Isigodlo. Ihlambo leSilo libalinye kuphela, okuyileli eselimenyezelwa manje ngalesimemezelo yiSilo uMisuzulu ka Zwelithini, iNkosana neNdlalifa yeSilo uZwelithini esesihlalweni. Sonke sisibonile isimemezelo sokugcina sikaMengameli wezwe, uMhlonishwa uMnu uMatamela Cyril Ramaphosa ukuthi ngokulayela komthetho ophethe Amakhosi Omdabu Ohlanga (Kings) neSizwe sama-Khoisana, iNgonyama yeSizwe sikaZulu esesihlalweni yiNgonyama uMisuzulu ka Zwelithini. Nguye kuphela ongumlomo ongathethimanga eSizweni sikaZulu nosesihlalweni ngalesisikhathi. Lokhu kwashicilelwa nasesimemezelweni semithetho yonke ebusa lelizwe, ebizwa nge- Government Gazette.

Ngakho lokhu okumenyezelwe ngaBantwana; uMntwana uMbonisi ka Bhekuzulu noMntwana uMxolisi ka Bhekuzulu akwehlukene nokudlala ngegeja kuziliwe, ngoba kabanalo nelincane igunya lalokhu abakwenzayo. Abakwenzayo ngalembudane abayimemezelayo yikudida iSizwe, nokuphehla uzwathi lokuxova iSizwe seNgonyama. Isizwe sikaZulu sesiphathwe ngokuthula eMakhosini amathathu; iSilo uSolomon ka Dinuzulu; iSilo uNyangayezizwe Bhekuzulu ka Solomon neSilo uZwelithini. LaMakhosi abusa ngokuthula, iSilo noMdlokombane asishiye nakho.

Remembering the moment that SA soldiers marched into Lesotho

Saturday is the 20th anniversary of democratic South Africa’s military intervention in Lesotho. Christopher Williams reflects on Nelson Mandela’s nuanced views on the use of armed force.

In the winter of 1998, Lesotho was roiled by protests after a controversial election. Frustrated opposition parties that won just a single parliamentary seat accused the ruling Lesotho Congress of Democrats of fraud and rigging the vote.

South Africa initially intervened diplomatically, by helping to set up a commission composed of legal experts from the region to evaluate the opposition’s claim of foul play.

This commission failed to resolve Lesotho’s difficulties. The release of the commission’s report was delayed, prompting charges that it had been tampered with, and the report’s central finding (when it was finally released) was diffident: “We are unable to state that the invalidity of the elections has been conclusively established.”

This weak double negative only exacerbated disagreements between the competing parties. At the same time, Lesotho’s perennially restless military staged a mutiny and forced many of the army’s senior commanders to resign at gunpoint. The situation became anarchic—protesters prevented civil service employees from going to work and impounded government vehicles, while the military rank-and-file looked on and did nothing to protect a government it opposed.

Buthelezi got approval from regional allies to dispatch a SADC military force; there was a growing sentiment through out Africa that military coups would no longer be tolerated.

Mandela later described the situation as a “virtual coup”. Lesotho’s government was paralysed and the country’s prime minister, Pakalitha Mosisili, feared that his administration would be toppled. Over the course of the crisis, he sent two desperate letters to Mandela and several other Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders, requesting a military intervention to stabilise Lesotho.

Mandela was travelling in the United States while Lesotho degenerated into chaos. Deputy president Thabo Mbeki was also away, leaving Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the minister of home affairs, to deal with the crisis as acting president.

Buthelezi got approval from regional allies to dispatch a SADC military force; there was a growing sentiment through out Africa that military coups would no longer be tolerated.

Mandela and Mbeki were also consulted and, according to Buthelezi, “supported military intervention, but acknowledged that the final decision lay on my shoulders”. On September 22 1998, 600 members of the South African National Defence Force (who were later joined by 200 soldiers from Botswana) entered Lesotho to “stabilise the situation for the purposes of achieving a lasting political solution”.

Mandela held very different views on the use of military force from these international icons. He was a pragmatist, not a peacenik.

The result was a bloody confrontation,in which nine South African soldiers, 29 members of Lesotho’s military, and about 47 Basotho civilians were killed. Much of downtown Maseru was destroyed.

Despite this death and destruction, the military intervention prompted renewed discussions between the belligerent Basotho parties. This eventually resulted in the creation of the inclusive Independent Political Authority, which went on to propose revisions to Lesotho’s electoral system intended to avert future conflicts.

In Mandela’s final State of the Nation address, early in 1999, he claimed: “There is no doubt that SADC’s collective initiative succeeded in creating the space for this country’s political leaders to find a peaceful resolution of their differences.”

Criticisms of South Africa’s decision to intervene in Lesotho are legion but very little of this literature focuses on Mandela. This is a mistake. As Mandela told reporters a few days after the intervention, he had regularly spoken to Buthelezi during the crisis and, therefore, “it is wrong to suggest that Chief Buthelezi made a mistake. If there is an accusation that a mistake was made, then all of us are involved.”He quickly added:“But I am not in the slightest doubt that we have done the correct thing.”

Surprise at South Africa’s military intervention stemmed in part from an incorrect image of Mandela as a principled pacifist in the vein of Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jnr.

Mandela held very different views on the use of military force from these international icons. He was a pragmatist, not a peacenik.

In the days after the intervention, Mandela was bombarded with questions about his country’s military mission. At one point he was asked to “reconcile the commitment to peace he kept in his battle to end apartheid with the military action in Lesotho”. Mandela replied: “It does not depend on ideology; it depends on an analysis of the situation.”

He stressed South Africa’s “belief is in peaceful solutions” but then added “whether we’re going to continue with that policy indefinitely must depend on the reality on the ground”. Mandela said South Africa had “tried peaceful means” to resolve the conflict in Lesotho. After those means were unsuccessful, “only then did we use force”.

This was a continuation of Mandela’s previous view on military force, not a deviation from it. When reflecting on the formation of Umkhonto weSizwe he stated: “We have always believed in nonviolence as a tactic. Where the conditions demanded that we should use nonviolence we would do so; where the conditions demanded that we should depart from nonviolence, we would do so.”

Fetishising Mandela exclusively as a man of peace marginalises him as a military strategist.

Despite his approval of military force in the case of Lesotho, Mandela believed such an approach had limited use. He told reporters: “It is our belief that issues of this nature can’t be settled through military intervention … They need [a] political process, a political solution.”Military intervention, he said, was required “to ensure that there is peace and stability, so that the Basotho themselves can sit down and explore a political solution”.

Many commentators have failed to heed United States philosopher Cornel West’s warning: “Let us not make Nelson Mandela some kind of icon on a pedestal, belonging to a museum.”

Fetishising Mandela exclusively as a man of peace marginalises him as a military strategist. Carl von Clausewitz, a Prussian military theorist and one of Mandela’s intellectual inspirations, emphasised the need to think clearly about the relationship between end goals and the means needed to pursue them. This type of strategic thinking served Mandela well throughout the struggle for a democratic South Africa and, at times, led him to advocate the use of force.

In October 1998, a month after the Lesotho intervention, Mandela began to draft a sequel to his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. The introduction to this work provides insight into how Mandela understood the Lesotho crisis and conceived of the appropriate use of military force: “The actual situation on the ground may justify the use of violence, which even good men and women may find difficult to avoid. But even in such cases, the use of force would be an exceptional measure, whose primary aim is to create the necessary environment for peaceful solutions.”

Christopher Williams is a Bradlow fellow at the South African Institute of International Affairs and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Opinion piece courtesy: Christopher Williams (Reuters)