Zulu King demands meeting with Ramaphosa after ANC rejects province name change

By Celani Sikhakhane

• King Misuzulu kaZwelithini spoke at Mashobeni Royal Palace in Pongola this week about reclaiming what belongs to the Zulu Nation.

• ANC KZN Coordinator Mike Mabuyakhulu said Natal came from Portuguese during Codesa negotiations and any renaming must follow the Constitution.

King Misuzulu kaZwelithini wants to meet President Cyril Ramaphosa to discuss issues affecting the Zulu nation.

King Misuzulu spoke at Mashobeni Royal Palace in Pongola this week at the official conclusion of his seclusion.

King Misuzulu said it is time to reclaim what belongs to the Zulu Nation. King Misuzulu wants the colonial name Natal dropped so the province can be known as KwaZulu.

“First of all it’s time that we reclaim what is ours as the Zulu Nation. Another issue is that we want the colonial name called Natal to be dropped so that this Province could be known as KwaZulu,” King Misuzulu said.

King Misuzulu called on traditional leaders to trust him. “I call on all traditional leaders to have trust in me because I am your angel that was sent by God. I call on all of you not to be shaken by any threats or insults,” he said.

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal rejected King Misuzulu’s call to rename the province.

ANC KZN Coordinator Mike Mabuyakhulu spoke to journalists at Seme House in Durban. Mabuyakhulu said no one has the power to wake up and call for the renaming of KZN.

Mabuyakhulu said the name Natal originated from the Portuguese. It was part of a consensus during the Codesa negotiations ahead of the first democratic government.

Mabuyakhulu said anyone proposing the renaming of KZN will have to be subjected to the Constitution.

The Amahlubi tribe in KZN are threatening violence if the government listens to King Misuzulu’s proposal to drop Natal.

Pictured above: King Misuzulu kaZwelithini and Cyril Ramaphosa.

Image source: Presidency