THE son of the late Zulu Prime Minister Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Inkosi Zuzifa Buthelezi, has appealed to the youth to learn from the rich history of Zulu kings.
He said that while the battles fought by the late kings, including King Cetshwayo, are different from those faced by the youth of today, the strategies that the late kings had could prove useful.
Inkosi Buthelezi was speaking at the 3rd commemoration of King Cetshwayo and the Battle of Isandlwana held at the Nkandla Sports field on Friday, 19 January.
"I'm happy that many young people are attending this lecture because it means that we are passing on the rich history of our past. It's not just a waste of time, but you learn about your heritage. Because it is very important that you know your history and how the amakhosi of yesteryear dealt with different battles," he said.
ALSO READ | King Cetshwayo's dignity restoredOpens in new window
Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi said Zulu history needed to be told in an accurate tone.
"There are truths that have been omitted from our history. A lot of false information has been spread about us that is not true. We need to have history rewritten. I appeal to writers to help us rewrite Zulu history and add the facts that have been left out," he said.
He said that King Cetshwayo fought in the Battle of Isandlwana and led the nation to victory, but as amakhosi of today, they are faced with the struggle of the government fighting so hard to disrespect and degrade the amakhosi and traditional leadership.
"We can't have a government that makes decisions about us without consulting us. We reject dictatorship," he said.
King Cetshwayo Mayor Thami Ntuli said the amakhosi had fought for several things, including the protection of their dignity from governments that wanted to interfere and leave the amakhosi to fight on their own.
"We commend the amakhosi for standing their ground and protecting these people who have so much history that is yet to be told," Ntuli said.
The commemoration began with a media tour that started at Port Dunford in Richards Bay in northern KZN, where King Cetshwayo boarded the ship that took him into exile. It then continued to Eshowe, where the king died, and ended at the royal cemetery in Nkandla, northern KZN.
One of the residents, Thembelihle Ndlela (38), said she had no regrets about coming to the lecture as she had learnt a lot.
"I learnt new things about our history. Now I will pass on the information with pride because it was shared in a broader knowledge," Thembelihle said.
