Durban - Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the traditional prime minister of the Zulu monarch and nation, has reacted angrily to suggestions that eNyokeni palace is a no-go zone for King Misuzulu to host the annual reed dance because it belongs to his rival, Prince Simakade Jackson Zulu.
Buthelezi says the claim is a fallacy informed by ignorance.
He said this in a hard-hitting statement he issued late on Sunday, in reaction to Prince Mxolisi Zulu who asked KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube to halt funding for the ceremony billed for the weekend.
UPDATE: Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi has come out guns blazing saying claims that eNyokeni palace belongs to Prince Simakade is a fallacy. He says it is a matter of legal fact that all the royal palaces fall under the authority of King Misuzulu, not royal individuals. @IOL pic.twitter.com/T3xNwdKhYL
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) September 11, 2022
The prince, who is the son of the late king, Cyprian Bhekuzulu, and brother to the late King Goodwill Zwelithini, told Dube-Ncube in a letter, dated September 4, that there was a possibility of "bloodshed" if the king was allowed to use eNyokeni palace for the annual ceremony.
Prince Mxolisi said the palace was the seat of power for Prince Simakade (whom he called a king) and it was out of bounds for King Misuzulu KaZwelithini, the officially recognised king.
He said that if King Misuzulu (whom he calls “Prince”) wanted to host the reed dance, he would have to use the KwaKhangalemankengane palace in Nongoma where he performed the ritual of entering the kraal last month.
It is not clear whether Dube-Ncube responded to the letter.
In response to Mxolisi’s claims, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi said palaces were built and maintained by the government, using public funds.
NEWS: Supporters of Prince Simakade have written to KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube telling her to prevent possible "bloodshed" by halting the hosting of the Zulu reed dance at eNyokeni palace. They say the palace is the headquarters of the Prince. Meanwhile, the King’s coronation
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) September 10, 2022
In that regard, the reigning king had the authority over them and, currently, King Misuzulu wielded that authority as he was the only recognised king of the Zulu nation.
"With the dawn of the democratic era, the provincial government continued to maintain the king’s official residences with state funds. This is the case even now.
"The royal palaces are thus under the authority of the reigning monarch.
"There is no leeway for the monarch to allot or bequeath an official residence to any of his children or to anyone else.
"Considering that the palaces are maintained by provincial funds, if any of the palaces were to be perceived as belonging to anyone other than His Majesty the King, there could no longer be an expectation for the state to maintain it," Buthelezi said.
He said eNyokeni was the only venue for the historic reed dance that was revived in 1984 by the King Goodwill Zwelithini and Queen Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu.
"Enyokeni Royal Palace has been the venue for traditional ceremonies for decades.
"It is not by any means unusual for the Reed Dance Ceremony to take place there, for that has been the case each year since the reintroduction of the Reed Dance Ceremony.
"I therefore note with concern the controversy reported in the media over claims that Enyonkeni Royal Palace somehow ‘belongs’ to Prince Simakade.
"In truth, the only accommodation established at Enyokeni Royal Palace was for the late regent, the mother of His Majesty the King.
"Apart from that, the late King Zwelithini established accommodation for me at Enyokeni as his traditional prime minister. It is a matter of legal fact that all the royal palaces fall under the authority of His Majesty the reigning King.
"His majesty thus has every right to choose any of the palaces as the venue for a traditional ceremony; and Enyokeni was established as the venue for traditional ceremonies even under His Majesty’s predecessor, the late King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu."
In a parting shot, he warned Prince Mxolisi and Prince Simakade against making threats of bloodshed.
"On this basis, and in the interests of stability, I must caution Prince Mxolisi and Prince Simakade against the claims they are making in the media that His Majesty in any way lacks the authority to hold the Reed Dance Ceremony at Enyokeni Royal Palace, and that, if it goes ahead, it will lead to bloodshed.
"Such threats are counter-productive and against the spirit of unity which we seek to create within the Zulu nation.
"There can be no dispute over His Majesty the King’s right to use any of his official residences – as provided by the state to the reigning monarch – for purposes of traditional ceremonies that unite the Zulu nation."
It remains to be seen what attempts the royal family faction loyal to Prince Simakade would apply to halt the ceremony.
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