Durban — The Zulu monarch, King Misuzulu, will now be given a guard of honour by the SAPS at the official opening of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature.
This followed the IFP’s motion calling for King Misuzulu’s salutation to be added to the Ministerial Handbook, which received support when it was debated by political parties at the provincial Legislature on Thursday.
The IFP called for the amended Standing Rules of the KZN Legislature, which state that the king should not be given a guard of honour by the SAPS at the official opening of the legislature, as the salute is not constitutional and that only selected dignitaries, such as the president, can be ushered in with a guard of honour.
The IFP called for the Cabinet to add the king’s salutation to the handbook, as this would absolve the government from all accusations that it is undermining uBukhosi, said IFP MPL Blessed Gwala.
He said amendments to standing rules were made in 2021.
“For so many years it was a standing practice, but now it is deemed unconstitutional. Something needs to be done. The shortcoming can be overcome through the insertion of a clause saying that he should be saluted. It is important he be afforded the respect he deserves. He presides over cultural activities which serve as a basis for the promotion of our character and identity of this province,” Gwala said.
Deputy chief whip of the legislature Vuyiswa Caluza said the chairperson of the rules committee indicated that there had been legal advice about the illegality of the salute rule. She said the ANC supported the correcting of the rules in accordance with the Constitution.
“When the IFP was given an opportunity to speak on the issue, they failed to constructively debate it and convince the rules committee why we should keep an unconstitutional rule. The matter of the salute can’t be corrected in the ministerial handbook, but can be done through the national standing orders of the SAPS, and must equally be done in accordance with the Constitution,” Caluza said.
DA MPL Francois Rodgers said political parties, including the IFP, had the opportunity to engage and make inputs on the matter in the KZN Legislature rules committee meeting when the issue arose, but the IFP had decided to leave the meeting.
Rodgers said what should be debated was how the province could build tourism potential around the king and the Zulu nation. He said it should be around building an international profile and assisting the monarch in building a commercial enterprise around agriculture, developing a model of self-sustainability around the king and royal household.
“They failed to debate the issue on the correct platform. They now want public sympathy. Political parties in this house need to stop using the king or royal household as a platform to score political points. It is divisive and opportunistic. The king belongs to the Zulu nation, not the IFP nor the DA or ANC. All parties should respect and recognise the king,” Rodgers said.
National Freedom Party MPL Mbali Shinga questioned the sudden change in rules and stated that “we needed to preserve the dignity of the royal house and the king”.
Minority Front’s Shameen Thakur-Rajbansi said South Africa was a constitutional democracy, yet chose to keep specific processes of colonialism.
“We must all be proud of our cultural past and present. It is the height of hypocrisy that this house is patriotic to Her Majesty the late queen of England, but gave no thought to dishonouring the AmaZulu king by amending the standing rules of the KZN legislature. We call for a constitutional change to regularise this,” she said.
Daily News