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Zulu King Speaks to the Nation PLEA for PEACE and UNITY

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Zulu King Speaks to the Nation PLEA for PEACE and UNITY Zulu King speaks to the Nation PLEA FOR PEACE AND UNITY A "I put every Party political consideration AJbt a special convention aside when I say there shall now be black "Imbizo" called by King unity amongst my people. Anyone who wants Goodwill Zwelithini ka to divide Zulu brother from Zulu brother, and Bhekuzulu in Durban in Zulu sister horn Zulu sister, husband from November, the Zulu monarch wife, parent bom child and the modern invited the recently released generation from the older generation, shall ANC and PAC leaders to sit henceforth be cursed amongst us. There will down with him and the Chief now be unity amongst the people ..." Minister of KwaZulu and President of Inkatha, His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini ka Bhekuzulu, November 1989. Dr Mangosuthu Buthelezi, to promote peace and "It is heart-rending to me that "I know of no single person who reconciliation between black this has already started in the areas has campaigned for the release of of Natal/KwaZuIu. As King of the Dr Nelson Mandela and all the and black and between black Zulus, I call on all of us to commit Rivonia THalists more than my and white in South Africa. ourselves to peace in the Uncle, the leader of Inkatha;* he More than 75 000 people KwaZulu/Natal Region and in said. gathered at King's Park Stadium in South Africa:' "Dr Mandela has acknowledged Durban and unanimously The King of the Zulu nation, this fact many times, even in applauded the King's call to his which numbers seven million, letters, yet when his fellow nation for peace and unity. asked all black leaders to hear his prisoners are released not a word is "Let us promote reconciliation message and noted that his people uttered to acknowledge the between black and black and were "spurned" when he was campaign for their release waged between black and white, as the excluded from the public meeting so relentlessly for decades by the time for negotiations draws nearer held in the Transvaal to welcome Chief Minister of KwaZulu .. every day. If we are not reconciled the recently released political The Zulu nation was spurned by now before liberation — I fear that prisoners Mr Walter Sisulu, Mr this rejection. I was spurned in this we may have the terrible experience Ahmed Kathrada, Mr Andrew ignoring of who we are and how of black killing black going on Mlangeni, Mr Elias Motsoaledi, we can be powerful friends and even after liberation, such as we Mr Raymond Mhlaba, Mr Wilton how we can add to everything that have seen in some countries in Mkwayi, Mr Oscar Mpetha and Mr anybody is doing for any just Southern Africa" he said. Jafta Masemola. cause." 20 * * • * % •^ ft -•» . * V ! r K v* fyM^^-•• ^ "77»e more unity there is amongst Zulus as Zulus, the more Zulus can do what Zulus now have to do to bring about national unity and the final liberation of South Africa ... there must be unity which is not disrupted by ethnic barriers. •." His Majesty the King of the Zulu nation. 21 King Goodwill said he was now crushed in spirit even if you were inviting all those released to sit conquered by armies and jailed by down with him and Dr unjust laws. Why now, my father's Mangosuthu Buthelezi to talk people, must we stand aside and "Let me pause my tattler's about numerous issues. allow those who want to crush our people to assure you that I "Let us now put black dignity, trample our Zulu identity understand many things, I divisiveness aside. Let us go forth under foot and laugh at our understand that you are Zuluness to succeed? oppressed. I understand the as the black oppressed to scale the anger which throbs in every very heights of achievement as we "There has been just too much true Zulu soul because we are put together a united South Africa mud-slinging in black politics and an oppressed nation. I which apartheid has so attempted the swearing by blacks at blacks understand that South Africa is to keep divided," he stressed. which causes black to kill black a great country and that in its Soon after the King's address, must now stop. My uncle, the greatness, there must be former ANC Secretary-General, Mr Chief Minister and President of national unity between all Walter Sisulu, was reported as Inkatha, quite correctly calls for an blacks and that any saying that talks between KwaZulu end to killing talk!' compartmentalisation of blacks leaders and newly released ANC "The King said he endorsed is wrong. I understand that leaders would be "highly "wholeheartedly" the view that the there must be unity which is welcomed". He said he would Prince of KwaPhindangene, Dr discuss the King's call with his not disrupted by ethnic Buthelezi, had expressed so colleagues. frequently that reconciliation must barriers..." The King emphasised in his be established now in the process speech that he was "not a Party of bringing about change. "I also understand that black political king". No Party could ever "If we do not become reconciled unity and black strength to own the Royal throne of KwaZulu. now we must know that it will be a finally rid South Africa of "The throne stands aloof and lot more difficult to become oppression cannot be achieved independent and it stands above all reconciled after apartheid has been by people snapping and Party politics. Let me ask this eradicated" he said. snarling at each other as though. How can I not condemn In the "great and important though they were some mangy divisiveness amongst my people? missions" that history had always dogs fighting over a bone or a How can I not condemn black allotted to the Zulu people, there bit of skin. I understand the killing black amongst my people? had never been any Party politics. nation as it now is because I How can 1 not say enough is "When we act as a people, we enough and call the people to resist act as South Africans. When we understand history. J those who come into our midst to understand that the more unity act as a people, we act beyond divide us? I must say No to Party politics. Party politics must there is amongst Zulus as divisions amongst my father's not destroy our unity. Anybody Zulus, the more Zulus can do people and I will say No to who sets black brother against what Zulus now have to do to whatever political force comes into black brother is un-Zulu. They are bring about national unity and the midst of my people to divide destructive. They undermine Zulu the final liberation of South them . .. strength. They undermine Zulu Africa..." "I am not talking about Party dignity and they interfere with the "I say let no man, no woman, politics. I am talking about the historic role that Zulus are playing no leader, no Party or even no proud role that the Zulu nation and will continue to play!' nation on earth, be deluded. must play in the unification of The King said there was We the Zulu people of South South Africa and in the total "nothing wrong" with a people Africa have always drawn eradication of apartheid." with their own identity, having together as a nation and we He added: "I say this, Zulus and their own region in which that now do so again. From today all other South Africans present. identity was forged by history. onwards, we are again a Hear me. I say any organisation, "Let me say there will be no people who have come and any political Party, which sets major change in South Africa together to fuhVl our glorious black brother against black brother which we as Zulus do not support. role in the outworking of black in your midst is a black political There can be no successful power in the struggle for party or black political negotiations with the South liberation..." organisation which must be thrust African Government by any black aside, spurned and trampled on if group if they try to ride roughshod HIS MAJESTY KING GOODWILL necessary. over us as a Zulu nation. The ZWELITHINIKA BHEKUZULU - "My people, let me say this to South African Government with all you. You are proud as a people its might will not be able to Address to the Nation, King's Park translate any agreement with any Stadium, Durban, November 19, because you were never crushed by white racism. You are proud as a black group in South Africa into 1989 people because you were never action if the action rides made party to your own roughshod over us as a Zulu subjugation. You are proud as a people. The Government cannot people because you were never move forward without us. "There has been an ever- increasing attack against us as Zulus in more recent years Let me say I despise those who attack us. KwaZulu, as it now is, is only a fragment of what our Zulu kingdom used to be. It is, however, ours. It is no creation of Pretoria and every hill has seen the march of Zulu feet. Every part of what is now KwaZulu — and a great deal more — was in one way or another involved in the emergence of the Zulu people out of history itself. We the people of KwaZulu say the area known as KwaZulu is ours by traditional right and by inheritance We are not ashamed of who we are We are not ashamed of our history.
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