Johannesburg – The Mayor of Zululand District Thulasiswe Buthelezi on Monday weighed in on the conflicting messages regarding the Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s health following reports that he may have been poisoned.
“The emergence of Prince Africa as a self-styled spin doctor of the royal family spells disaster for the Zulu Nation,” said Mayor Buthelezi.
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Soon after the traditional prime minister of the Zulu Nation Prince Buthelezi announced at the weekend that the King had been hospitalised in eSwatini, Prince Africa disputed the statement as a misrepresentation.
Prince Buthelezi had said the King felt unwell after a close confidante Induna Mr. Douglas Xaba fell ill and died suddenly.
He said the King sought treatment for suspected poisoning in eSwatini, where he had been hospitalised – something Prince Africa vehemently disputed.
In a widely circulated video clip, Prince Africa dismissed what he said were, “defamatory and baseless claims of His Majesty’s ill health”.
He said the King was visiting his uncle in eSwatini, when he had decided to go for a thorough medical check-up at a hospital, given the report of Mr. Xabas’s sudden passing.
Without citing Prince Buthelezi by name, Prince Africa, who said he spoke for the communications department of His Majesty, suggested that the intent was to create a public perception that His Majesty was unwell and unfit.
Prince Africa also pointed to next year’s general elections as a reason for the “false” information being put out about the king’s health.
However, the mayor of Zululand rubbished Prince Africa saying: “Prince Africa’s persistent trend of undermining the authority and contradicting the public statements of the King’s Prime Minister, Prince Mangosuthu Buthulezi, is a politically calculated ploy sponsored by the ANC [African National Congress] in KwaZulu-Natal”.
The mayor said Prince Mangosuthu has been the Zulu Nation’s Prime Minister for 49 years and his integrity, credentials, and wisdom in dealing with matters of the Royal Family were well documented.
“Prince Buthelezi’s loyalty and dedication to the Zulu King is unmatched,” said Buthelezi, the mayor of Zululand.
“We warn Prince Africa to get off his high horse and immediately desist from being used as a useful idiot to advance the political programme of the ANC.
“Others before him have attempted to use the role of royal spokesperson to attack Prince Buthelezi and they failed dismally.
“Prince Africa will also surely fail.”
Responding to the accusations of meddling in the affairs of the Royal Family, the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal said Mayor Buthelezi’s utterances were “reckless”.
The ANC said: “For the record, the ANC in this province, out of respect, has avoided relentless requests for comments from the media regarding Zulu Royal Family internal matters.
“We are still nursing a hope that all issues involving the Zulu Royal Family that have played out in the public domain will be resolved internally with political parties keeping a distance.”
The ANC said it has been inundated by media requests to respond to matters involving King Misuzulu and Prince Buthelezi.
“As a matter of principle, we have exercised maximum restraint,” the ANC said.
“We wish to confirm that the ANC tasked former Premier and former MEC for Royal Household Department Dr. Zweli Mkhize to play a mediation role.”
The ANC added: “We, therefore, reject Thulasizwe Buthelezi’s statement with the contempt it deserves.
“He is clearly using the monarch and the Zulu Royal Family as his instruments to achieve political currency.”
The ANC said everyone must work together to position the monarchy as an office of strategic value in the future of the Zulu Kingdom.
“The monarch gives our province the uniqueness that we must utilise to advance the social and economic lives of our people and the prosperity of our province,” said the ANC.
“The monarch serves as a symbol of peace and unity for the people of this province.”
