|
National
Assembly Cape Town: 19 June 2007
It is my privilege to pay tribute today to my dear cousin and friend, His Royal Highness, Prince Nhlanhla Zulu.
To me he was a constant source of encouragement and wise counsel; a fund of shrewd and honest advice. His loss will be keenly felt by his loved ones, his party, this House and beyond.
The Prince possessed an easy going charm and warmth. He was always courteous - and courtly - to all he met and was proof that being a gentleman was not, somehow, old fashioned. He was, in fact, very much a man of our time who relished progress and the beauty of tradition in equal measure. The Prince led an extraordinary life which spanned the best part of the last century and nearly the first decade of this one.
Our grandfather King Dinuzulu had no less than sixty Queens and, hence, several homesteads. The King had several daughters and sons. His first daughter, Princess Phikisile Harriet married Dr Pixley Isaka Seme, the founder of the ANC.
Dr Seme discussed with King Dinuzulu the idea of the King becoming one of the patrons of the ANC alongside other African Kings. He, alas, died before this proposal was finalised.
King Dinuzulu had several Royal Homesteads. One of them was the homestead of Ezinhlendleni. One of his wife's, Okahlukulu Ndwandwe bore sons. One of these sons was Prince Nojombo. He was Prince Nhlanhla's father. My uncle, Prince Nojombo, died when Prince Nhlanhla was very young. Prince Nhanhla's mother, Princess Tryphinah (Okamanqele), struggled to give my cousin some education. After he passed his Junior Certificate, he continued to study to improve himself. He qualified as a Laboratory Technician and went to work for the South African Paper and Pulp Industries (SAPPI) in Mandeni in 1967.
It was during this time that I first met my cousin. It did not take me long to see that he was a patriot whose heart burned like mine concerning the sacrifices that our forbearers suffered such as King Mpande, King Cetshwayo and King Dinuzulu. He, Prince Gideon Mnyayiza and I, soon became a trio because of our convictions.
We all felt that apartheid had to be defeated by all possible means. It was little surprise then when I visited Zambia to thank President Kenneth Kaunda for giving sanctuary to our exiles, and later President Julius Nyerere, that I was inspired to found Inkatha Yenkululeko Yesizwe, the National Cultural Liberation Movement. Bishop Alphaeus Zulu reinforced what President Kaunda said to me when I had visited the UNIP headquarters in Lusaka during my visit.
Dr Kaunda had impressed upon me the need to start a membership-based organisation, so that, in our internal resistance against grand apartheid, we could present ourselves as "a cohesive force", as he put it.
The only person who had to be consulted was the leader of the ANC-in-exile, Mr Oliver Tambo. After he approved, I then formed Inkatha.
Prince Nhlanhla and Prince Gideon were the first in the Royal House to join me in 1975.
Prince Nhlanhla became a highly respected member of our Central Committee before it became the National Council, which he was a member of until his passing.
He was a respected voice in the councils of my party. We had no hesitation in asking him to join those of us who came to parliament as representatives of our party in 1994. He was a remarkable person of great depth and whose every word was spoken only after a lot of thought and with clarity.
He was a man of great wisdom and whose opinions we all valued in the party. He was not garrulous. Yet when he expressed his opinion on any issue, all listened. He was a model of modesty. He would never flaunt his Royal lineage. He was a gentleman who was loved and respected across party lines. Yesterday, when I spoke to His Majesty, King Goodwill Zwelithini ka Bhekuzulu, the nephew of Prince Nhlanhla, he lamented the fact that the Prince's wisdom would no longer be available to him and the rest of us as his family.
In the Royal Family, he was a rare breed. He was a humble scion of Zulu Kings whose life mission was to serve his people, the Zulu nation, and the people of South Africa.
We thank God for having lent us the gift of this Royal Prince. He believed strongly that his mission would not be accomplished as long as his people were trapped in grinding poverty; living with high unemployment; when corruption still persisted, and so many suffered from HIV/Aids in our province of KwaZulu-Natal, which has the highest prevalence rate in the country.
We feel that he made his own unique contribution and he completed his mission in serving our people in this highest council of state:
parliament.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to his beloved wives, Princess Jabulisile and Princess Eugenia, his family, the Royal House, members of his party, and his colleagues in Parliament. May the Prince rest in
peace.
|
