Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi has labelled the weekend’s events at Nkandla as “treasonous”, adding that challenging the State and risking lives is unacceptable.

Thousands of supporters and former African National Congress (ANC) leaders congregated at Nkandla to support former President Jacob Zuma, after the Constitutional Court sentenced him to 15 months in prison for contempt of court for failing to appear at the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, in February.

Zuma addressed supporters alongside suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule and Umkhonto Wesiziwe Military Veterans Association spokesperson Carl Niehaus, as thousands gathered, breaking lockdown regulations.

A Zulu regiment was also present at Nkandla, prompting the Zulu royal family to distance themselves from those present.

Buthelezi said this is not the first time that a leader in the country has faced imprisonment, or worse.

“… I am troubled by what is happening at Nkandla. It is simply wrong. Our people there are challenging the State and in so doing they are challenging all of us who are guided by the rule of law. What is happening in Nkandla right now runs contrary to our dignity as a people. We are making ourselves a spectacle in the eyes of the world,” he said.

He said people gathering at Nkandla in large numbers during the deadly coronavirus pandemic was a “sin”.

“We know that the protocols of social distancing and wearing face masks are more important measures to secure our survival than even the jabs that people are receiving. Yet when one watches the people congregating at Nkandla, there is barely a face mask in sight. They are jeopardizing their lives, and the lives of every one of us in whose midst they are living. That is the greatest irresponsibility of all,” he stated.