Isandlwana - The commemoration of 144 years since the historic Battle of Isandlwana, where a brave Zulu army armed only with spears defeated the mighty British imperial army, King Misuzulu says attempts to infiltrate, divide and eventually overpower the nation are still ongoing.
The king said the historic battle, which was fought on the hill of Isandlwana in Nquthu in northern KwaZulu-Natal, was a war to protect the Zulu nation’s way of life and land.
The monarch added that the war should not be seen as a battle between the Zulus and the British, but rather a war by Africans against colonialists who were invading their land.
Hence, he said, the commemoration of the battle should be opened to all South Africans, and not limited to the Zulus and the British.
The king made these comments on Saturday while delivering his main speech during the commemoration, which attracted around 10 000 people, including descendants of the British soldiers who perished when the two armies locked horns on January 22, 1879.
“One hundred and forty-four years after the war here at Isandlwana on January 22 (1879), we are still standing as Zulus.
“Our monarch is still standing, (and) we also still have our land – our land which we should protect, my people.
“We should remind one another of that. As a respectful nation, we should always remind one another of that.
“My people, never forget that the attempt they started long ago to divide us is still in motion up to this moment.
PHOTOS: The replaying of the battle of Isandlwana in Nquthu in pictures. King Misuzulu KaZwelithini is presiding over the commemoration. @IOL pic.twitter.com/88ciX6KOpM
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) January 21, 2023
“We must not fool ourselves by thinking that they have since stopped. No, they are still going on with that.
“They are still devising strategies on how they can infiltrate us again. In that regard, we must not lower our guards – there is no time for that,” the king said.
In his lengthy speech, the longest since he took the throne in May 2021, the king also said killing albinos for ritual purposes, which is now rearing its ugly head in KwaZulu-Natal, must come to an end.
He asked his people to stand and report all those who were suspected of doing it, so that the authorities could act.
“This has to stop – it is very painful,” he pleaded.
In a speech that laid the ground for the king’s speech, Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the Zulu nation’s traditional prime minister, said the Battle of Isandlwana was where the unconquerable spirit of the Zulu nation was born.
“The victory of those warriors at Isandlwana was the victory of the entire Zulu.
“It forever changed how we saw ourselves, and how the world perceived us.
“Even now, the Zulu warrior is an iconic image throughout the world.
“We are recognised in far-flung corners as a symbol of courage and strength.
“We can take pride in this, for it is the prize of an unspeakable sacrifice, made by our forefathers,” Buthelezi said.
The colourful commemoration started with a traditional display by hundreds of Zulu regiments around the arena.
Later, some of the regiments took a symbolic walk to the mountain, passing by British war memorials and graves of slain British soldiers who perished during the war.
The main display came when the war was re-enacted by Zulu regiments and the descendants of the British soldiers.
It was where the Zulu regiments displayed how the loin-skin strategy (called uphondo in isiZulu), first devised by King Shaka, works. It involves first encircling the enemy and then attacking them in a pincer movement.
This was enacted much to the delight of the King and his guests, which included former president Jacob Zuma and former health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu, and KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube.
Current Affairs