His Majesty the King of the Zulu Nation; Amakhosi and Indunas; leaders in
Government and leaders within our nation.

In the present atmosphere of acrimony, violence and contempt, we must thank our
King for having the wisdom to call an imbizo. South Africa is seized with a
crisis that has the eyes of the world upon us.

Under these circumstances, my position as traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu
Monarch and Nation affords me the privilege of introducing His Majesty our King
as he rises to speak to his people. I carried this same responsibility under the
father of the present king, King Cyprian Bhekuzulu Nyangayezizwe ka Solomon,
just as my father served under King Solomon ka Dinuzulu and my paternal great
grandfather, Mnyamana Buthelezi, served under my maternal great grandfather,
King Cetshwayo, in charge of all the King’s regiments into the battle during the
Anglo-Zulu War.  My grandfather Mkhandumba Buthelezi participated in the battle
of Isandlwana on the 22nd of January 1879 and was prepared to give his life for
King and country.  His   brother Mntumengana died that day.  Throughout my life
I have served the King loyally and with respect.

It is right that we hear from our King. We gather today in a time of crisis.
There is violence sweeping through our communities, targeted at our brothers and
sisters from this continent. Our people are attacking the very neighbours who
gave us refuge during our own liberation struggle. These are the people with
whom we have trade ties, historical ties and ties of humanity. There is no sense
in what is happening. A spark has been ignited, and it has taken flame in
terrible proportions.

As often happens in times of crisis, apportioning blame seems to have taken
precedence over resolving the crisis. And from many quarters, the finger of
blame has fallen on the utterances of His Majesty our King.  All sorts of
accusations have been erroneously levelled at the King on the basis of what is
presented in the media as his utterances at oPhongolo.  The Minister of Police
the Honourable Nathi Nhleko who was present when the King spoke has repudiated
these allegations.

Our brothers and sisters from African States are welcome in our midst, just as
we South Africans as refugees of Apartheid, were welcome in their own
countries.  His Majesty, we are made to understand merely stated that criminal
elements are not welcome.

I believe our King has been used as an excuse for violent men and criminals to
act out their depravity. Of all that His Majesty said, only a small part is
repeatedly quoted. Let me therefore state what the King said, so that we might
all be reminded.

He spoke about the sacrifices of our forefathers to gain liberation, including
the imprisonment of King Cetshwayo and King Dinuzulu. Considering all that they
gave to secure an inheritance of freedom for this generation, His Majesty our
King lamented the character of this generation.

He said, “In 2015… South Africans (are) people who don’t want to work, who are
thieves, who rape children, house breakers, lazy people who don’t want to work
the land; they are people when if other nations look at them will say let’s go
and eat the inheritance of these stupid people…”

When our King then said that it’s time for us to ask them to leave, he meant it
is time for South Africans to start respecting the inheritance we have received
from those who struggled for our freedom. It is time for South Africans to
accept hard work, the rule of law and respect for human life. It is entirely
irrational that our people’s response to this call would be to trample the rule
of law and discard the right to life and human dignity.

Nevertheless, xenophobia is present within South Africa and it takes little to
spark violence against foreign nationals. This is shameful to us all, but it is
a truth we must acknowledge if we are to arrest the violence and begin to change
this reality.

We as Amakhosi and leaders in our nation have an undeniable responsibility to
stop the violence. Regardless of why it started or what sparked the flame this
time, it is our responsibility to put out the fire. We need to send a clear and
unambiguous message to our people. They must know where we stand and what we
expect them to do. Our message must be unanimous.

The fact is, chasing out other nations will not solve any of our problems,
because these are our own problems. They are rooted in our own hearts. St Peter
could well have been describing South Africa when he wrote in 2 Peter 2 verse
19, “They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity…"

Other nations want to come to South Africa because South Africa promises
freedom. But our people are, as His Majesty described, depraved in many ways.
Violence lies just below the surface. Entitlement, anger and lawlessness have
corrupted the souls of our people.

Thus we are faced with a threefold crisis. The first and most pressing is to put
a stop to violent attacks and intimidation against foreign nationals. The second
is to find a way to remove this evil from the heart of our people and restore
ubuntu/botho. The third is damage control.

In the eyes of the world, the image of the Zulu nation and the Zulu Monarch has
been damaged. It is necessary to set this right. This may demand a difficult
action on the part of our King. But we know that leadership demands sacrifices
and our Kings have never shied away from sacrificing for the name, reputation
and unity of our nation.

What we cannot do, is remain silent and allow the damaged image of our King to
open the way to public denigration of the Zulu monarch by those whose animosity
is usually restrained, despite being ever present.

We are already seeing this public denigration everywhere. I am astounded by what
has been said about our King in the media. No one would have dared say these
things before. An Editorial comment in The Mercury on Friday went so far as to
call His Majesty a “paid agent of ethnic mobilisation”. In yesterday’s City
Press, Mr Mondli Makhanya again vented his spleen by saying that the King allows
himself to be used as a political tool. This is a repugnant accusation that
denigrates our monarch in the extreme. He accuses me of using the King to build
my political prestige. Did my father Mathole Buthelezi use King Solomon to build
his political prestige? Did my great grandfather Mnyamana Buthelezi use King
Cetshwayo? I have not “carved” out a position for myself, as Mr Makhanya claims.
Is he so ignorant about our nation? No, it is not ignorance that drives these
attacks, but vitriol and contempt.

The King is the son of my first cousin, His Majesty King Cyprian Bhekuzulu
Nyangayezizwe ka Solomon ka Dinuzulu.  King Solomon was the full brother of my
mother Princess Magogo Mantithi Ngangezinye ka Dinuzulu.

The tide of public support from outside the Zulu nation has momentarily turned
against our King. Our opponents will use this opportunity to vent their spleen
against us. Those who oppose the institution of the monarchy and the institution
of traditional leadership will attack us now. We need to undo the damage as
swiftly as possible and close this gap in the wall.

Regardless of how one interprets what His Majesty said, one thing is clear. He
never decreed violence, mayhem, looting, murder or arson. Our King would by no
means be retracting his words to stand before our nation and order that the
violence stop. Indeed, that is imminently necessary, for our King carries more
authority than any of us. Ultimately, only moral leadership will heal the damage
that has been done.

This would be the first step in addressing two parts of our current crisis:
damage control and arresting the violence. The third part, that of restoring
ubuntu/botho in our nation, will take much longer and must be a sustained
vocation among Amakhosi for years to come.

A first step, I believe, at this crucial point, would be to encourage those
among our people who still have goodwill to join hands and collectively reach
out to foreign nationals in our midst, offering assistance and support.

Our nation needs to be seen cleaning up this mess. We need to be seen restoring
order, making amends and seeking forgiveness. This may well be the medicine of
the soul that our people need.

We will rely on the wisdom of our King. Let us therefore listen, as His Majesty
the King of the Zulu Nation rises to address his people.