No more politics at royal events
The KZN government has heeded a call by King Goodwill Zwelithini not to use pictures of politicians on material associated with royal events.
|||Durban - The KwaZulu-Natal government has heeded a call by King Goodwill Zwelithini not to use pictures of politicians on material associated with royal events.
In a break from the norm, an advertisement for an event to commemorate the Battle of Isandlwana placed by the Office of the Premier in the Daily News’ sister newspaper, Isolezwe, does not feature pictures of Premier Senzo Mchunu, or Arts and Culture MEC Ntombikayise Sibhidla-Saphetha.
Instead, there is a photo of King Cetshwayo, the reigning monarch when the Zulu warriors and British troops fought in 1879.
However, it remains to be seen if politicians are banished from the banners at the Saturday event near Nquthu.
The apparent change of heart comes four months after the king had, during the commemoration of Umkhosi weLembe event, complained about photos of politicians on banners at royal events to canvass votes.
“My request to politicians is that banners like these in the commemorations should not be used, because you are campaigning for votes. The commemoration is mine; it is not yours,” he said at the time, as about five banners flew in front of the marquee flooded by dignitaries.
“There should have been my photo here. My banner should have been here. You should have made them with the money spent on the commemoration for the Zulu nation,” the king said.
Spokesman for the Office of the Premier, Thami Ngwenya, downplayed the use of the Cetshwayo photo as a government response to the king’s call. He said the Battle of Isandlwana remained a point of reference of the forebears who fought to preserve their dignity and through that victory, inspired subsequent struggles against oppression.
“The use of the picture of King Cetshwayo is to honour his bravery and to ensure that his role and memory is preserved and not relegated to the footnote of history.
“Our responsibility as a democratic government is to ensure that our history is affirmed and, in particular, that the victory achieved under King Cetshwayo continues to inspire the current and future generations to fight any prevailing and emergent forms of oppression, prejudice and racial bigotry” Ngwenya said.
Royal spokesman, Prince Thulani Zulu, said the provincial government had always listened to advice from the king.
“The king and the provincial government work together. If the king is unhappy with something, he raises it and that’s how it goes,” Zulu said.
“There are no issues when the government is doing what the king expects them to do,” he said.
Political analyst, Thabani Khumalo, said the provincial government was toeing the line.
“It is a response to that complaint of the king. Personally, I don’t think it is proper because the Isilo (monarch) is the living king, and is supposed to be the one featured as the face of the Zulu nation,” Khumalo said about using King Cetshwayo’s photo.
“I would have expected the Office of the Premier to use the image of the living king. In fact, anything celebrating the royalty should portray the king as the face of the Zulus,” he said.
Khumalo said it would have been better if the province had used photos of both the serving and late kings.
mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za
Daily News