KING Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, who died early yesterday after a prolonged stay in hospital, has left President Cyril Ramaphosa with another potential crisis in his in-tray.
The king, who was one of the longest-reigning monarchs in the world, commanded incredible devotion from his subjects, themselves a sizeable percentage of the country’s population, with isiZulu the most widely spoken of all 11 of our official languages.
He was a fierce guardian of the traditions and culture of his people, but was unafraid to break with that if it meant ensuring better health for them by bravely breaking the taboo on male circumcision to staunch the rise in HIV/Aids infections.
To other South Africans though, he was often seen as an anachronism and an expensive one at that, with the ordinary taxpayer being asked to contribute to the upkeep of the king’s household, which cost considerably more than those of other traditional leaders.
Equally, the Ingonyama Trust was highly contentious, not least because of the nature of its genesis nor the revenues it raked in from Zulu peasant farmers at a time when land ownership and security had become a burning national issue.
The king will also be remembered for using Zulu cultural festivals he revived to raise awareness of HIV/Aids, and addressing social issues such as gender-based violence, and for promoting religious tolerance, hosting Diwali festivals at his palaces and visiting mosques.
More recently he warned politicians they would fail in the fight against Covid-19 unless they presented a united front against the common enemy.
His influence on his people and his utterances on national issues, especially with regards to foreigners from other African countries, often had dire consequences as some of his subjects took His Majesty’s musings as a direct injunction for extreme action.
All of these are issues that whoever ascends to the throne will have to deal with in a manner that both advances and develops Zulu culture in total alignment with the South African Constitution.
But for now, it is time to mourn and we grieve with our Zulu brothers and sisters. They have lost a king. The rest of us have lost a significant fellow South African.
The Independent on Saturday