The Venerable Archdeacon Manqele, The Rev Canon Ntombela and other clergy present, Masters of Ceremonies, the Honourable Minister Narend Singh MPP and Minister of Arts Culture and Tourism, the Hon Dr Zweli Mkhize MPP, Minister of Health and Leader of Government Business; His Majesty the King of the Zulu Nation, His Excellency Deputy President Zuma, members of the Zulu Royal House present, Inkosi Z M Ndebele and other Amakhosi present, the Honourable Premier of the Province Mr S J Ndebele MPP, other Honourabe Ministers present; members of Parliament present. The Mayor of the Zululand Municipal District Ms V Z Magwaza and other Mayors, Indunas and Councillors present, all subjects of His Majesty assembled here at this Prayer Meeting.

I thank His Majesty for informing me of this day of Prayer commemorating an event which involved his forebear King Dinuzulu who is also my forebear. I also thank the Minister of Arts and Culture Mr Narend Singh for sending me an invitation to attend this important function. I thank him in my capacity as Traditional Prime Minister of the Monarch and the Zulu Nation, and as Chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders of this Province of the Kingdom of the Zulu Nation. I am also grateful to be here, also as Chairperson of the Regional Authority of this District and as one of the traditional leaders of this District.

But even more importantly, I am honoured to be here to present His Majesty to all who are here, in all my capacities. Also as the people who were central figures of the drama which is being commemorated here today were the King's Ascendants and also my Ascendants. As all of you are aware that King Dinuzulu was the great grandfather of our King. He was my maternal grandfather as all of you know. The Prime Minister Mnyamana Buthelezi was my paternal great grandfather and he is the maternal great great grandfather of His Majesty the King as the Queen Mother Indlunkulu Thomo Jezengani (Oka-Thayiza), was the daughter of Mcebile Buthelezi, a daughter of Ndulungo Buthelezi, one of the sons of Mnyamana.

As I continue with my remarks you will see why I state that the central figures of the drama which took place here who are our ascendants make it significant that for the first time we are both present at today's prayer meeting and ceremony. I have not been present before on previous similar occasions. I am glad that I happen to be present at today's commemorative function.

This district was for many generations the centre of the Kingdom of the Zulu people as the seat of our Zulu Kings, and as the very cradle of the Zulu Royal House. Many Ascendants of His Majesty, who were also ascendants of many of us who are here including King Dinuzulu, have their mortal remains buried in this very district. Not even all that has happened since 1879, when the British army conquered the Zulu Regiments including the destruction of ULUNDI, which today has happened for the third time, can change that history. This casts a shadow of sadness even on such an important event, as today's Prayer meeting, which His Majesty the King has commanded all of us to attend as his subjects on this historic spot.

But before I present His Majesty to you let me for the sake of young people give the following background. King Cetshwayo was taken into exile after the defeat of the Zulu Regiments by the British Army at Ulundi on the 4th of July 1879. One of his last messages was that his young son and Heir Prince Dinuzulu must be taken to Mandlakazi under the care of the Head of the Mandlakazi clan, Zibhebhu ka Maphitha. It might seem strange why the King would do a thing like that when his own full brother the Prince of KwaMinya, Prince Ndabuko, was the natural person to take care of his son. Princess Magogo ka Dinuzulu speculated when I tried to interrogate this issue, that it was probably because although the custodian to whom the King was entrusting his son and Heir, was a member of the family he felt that it was more unlikely that he could come to harm, under his custody, than under the custody of close members of the family, such as his full brother. But as events unfolded we know that His Majesty was quite mistaken in thinking that his son was safest under the custody he chose for him.

As time went on there were rumours that Prince Dinuzulu was not safe where he was at Bhanganoma. The new Custodian appeared more ambitious to the extent of wanting to usurp the throne after Sir Garnet Wolsely had anointed him as one of the so-called "13 Kinglets" who were to be independent of the King and who would no longer swear allegiance to the King but only to Queen Victoria.

When rumours that the Prince was not as safe under the Custodian to whom his father entrusted him, there was great concern in the Royal House. It was under these circumstances that Prince Ndabuko and the King's Premier, Mnyamana Buthelezi, decided to fetch Prince Dinuzulu, and placed him at Ekushumayeleni under the custody and care of the Prime Minister, Mnyamana Buthelezi. There was unrest in the Country as a result of hostilities between the Usuthu and the Mandlakazi sections of the Zulu nation at this time. So the Prime Minister moved the young Prince to each one of his several Homesteads alternately as a safety measure. To the extent that when Prince Dinuzulu reached puberty, he was at Ophisweni, one of Mnyamana's Homesteads.

After the defeat of the Mandlakazis at Etshaneni Battle, the Head of the Mandlakazi clan fled and the Government of the day suggested that he stays at Nyoni.

At this time Representatives of the imperial Government had also imposed fines on King Dinuzulu and Prince Ndabuko. A fine of fifty cattle from each one of them. The Head of Mandlakazi was according to Sir Arthur Havelock who had imposed the fines on the king and the Prince, told them, that the Head of the Mandlakazi was now to return to Nongoma from Nyoni where he had sought refuge after the battle of Tshaneni. Both the king and Prince Ndabuko in their reaction to this suggestion sent the following message:

"His territory is occupied by our people we cannot live together with the man who killed our King."

The King was summoned at Vuna by the Magistrate Mr Addison. The King seemed to be cooperating in that he turned up as summoned. But he was accompanied by men estimated to have been between 400 and 500 in number. This was perceived as an act of intimidation as these men were armed with rifles and spears. On that occasion the king again strongly expressed himself as opposed to the return of Zibhebhu to Nongoma.

By that time Zibhebhu on his return on the 25th of November 1887, was accompanied by 700 men, only women and children having been left behind. When they entered Nongoma district they raided fields cultivated by USUTHU in what they claimed was their territory. And ordered them off their land as "squatters". The Head of the Mandlakazi was joined by 300 men from Swaziland who were under his old Induna Sikhizana. Altogether they amounted to about 1000 fighting men. They rebuilt Bhanganoma and other Homesteads that had been destroyed or dilapidated after they fled to Nyoni.

On January 2 1888, Zibhebhu arrived at Vuna in full war costume and demanded the removal of Usuthu people from what he claimed to be the Mandlakazi territory. The Magistrate added fuel to the fire by stating that the so-called Usuthu "squatters" must be removed. This decision by the Magistrate Mr Addison was confirmed by Sir Melmoth Osborn. This was an area only eight kilometres from KwaMinya the Residence of Prince Ndabuko the King 's senior uncle. The Usuthu under King Dinuzulu also started gathering. About 1500 amabutho were being 'doctored' prior to going to war.

It was under these circumstances that the King decided to bivouac with his amabutho where we are today.

I think for the sake of young people I will apologise to His majesty, to allow me to explain a thing or two about what happened at this time in relationships between the King and the Prime Minister Mnyamana. When the imperial authorities suggested that the Head of the Mandlakazis Zibhebhu should be allowed to return to Nongoma the King as I have already stated, opposed it. Mnyamana then used his now famous simile in trying to advise the King. When the King stated that under no circumstances would he allow Zibhebhu to return to Nongoma district, Mnyamana retorted : "My son, how can you hope to escape the wrath of someone who is leading his little dog with a piece of string if you hit it? Zibhebhu is the imperial Government's little dog, that they are leading with a piece of string." The King was supported by his senior uncle Prince Ndabuko and his other uncle the Prince of Onkweni, Prince Shingana. It was at this point that Mnyamana distanced himself from the now declared hostilities between Usuthu and Mandlakazi. He was supported by Prince Ziwedu, the Prince of Ematheni, in this view. Some people read this to mean that the Prime Minister was hostile to the King. To the extent that when the Prime Minister was asked by Imperial authorities to go to Ceza to restrain the king from proceeding to war against the Mandlakazi, there was an incident which has always been misinterpreted by some both then and now. Prime Minister Mnyamana belonged to the Mkhulutshana Regiment which was formed during the reign of King Dingane. He had lived through the reigns of four Kings, King Mpande had chosen him to be the "Father of his children". He and King Cetshwayo became very close and he was appointed Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of all the Zulu Regiments under his reign. He had been such Commander-in-Chief during the Anglo-Zulu war. His sons were already men and members of regiments which fought for the King and Country under him. My grandfather Mkhandumba and Mntumengana amongst his sons were present at Isandlwana on the 22nd of January 1879. Mntumengana died during that battle. Premier Mnyamana had brought up King Dinuzulu during the most dangerous period of his life and protected him as we have seen.

With this background, he had refused to endorse the invitation of the Boers to assist the King's regiments at Tshaneni because the Princes said that the Boers were King Mpande's friends, their father's friends and they would reward them with cattle. Mnyamana had predicted that if the Boers were invited they would take away land which is what happened. Before the King's Regiments and the Mandlakazi Regiments clashed in battle the same suggestion came up again that Boers be invited to assist, which Mnyamana again opposed. Some people interpreted that as hostility towards the King.

It was in these circumstances that Mnyamana was requested as the King's father to come to this place to persuade the King not to proceed with his plans of attacking the Mandlakazis. He however excused himself from doing that, but instead delegated his son and Heir Tshanibezwe to come to Ceza to speak to the King. Some of the regiments who had no food had started raiding some of the homesteads in his area. So Tshanibezwe was accompanied by some of his people and some soldiers as security. Before reaching this hill where we are now, one of the young white soldiers shot in the air, which infuriated Tshanibezwe as he was on a peace mission to the King on his father's instructions. He decided to turn back after such provocation by this white soldier. As they turned back to report what had happened to the Prime Minister, some of the Regiments from the King's Amabutho decided to give chase. Tshanibezwe was a huge man and when they reached the Echinsweni hill just across on the other side the horse on whose back he rode got tired. A regiment which was led by Mankulumana Ndwandwe overtook them. Some of the youngmen suggested that Tshanibezwe be stabbed. Mankulumana said: "What has Mnyamana's son done for him to be killed"? And they refrained from doing him harm.

Prime Minister Mnyamana in spite of quite a few raids of some of the homesteads in his area and seizure of cattle of his people by the King's Regiments, told his people to join the King now that he had decided to fight. 10 of his own sons had participated in the war at Emdendeni battle such as Laba, Nsingwana Buthelezi's father amongst these. He still told his own children to go to war with the King and two of his sons died who were the same age as the King was at the time. In other words who also belonged to the Mbokodebomvu or Phefeni Regiment, such as Mathentamo ka Mnyamana from his Nsukaze Homestead and Simelwano ka Mnyamana from his Kwanhlonga Homestead amongst many members of the Buthelezi clan who went to war at NDUNU, some dying during that battle.

It is important for me to tell young people about that history and to make others understand why I stated that it was important for His Majesty and myself to be here on this occasion as Descendants of both King Dinuzulu and Prime Minister Mnyamana.

Our prayers should throw a bridge between past and present to enable the many sacrifices and acts of heroism of our noble past to give us the strength and inspiration to build a better future. As we dwell on the significance of this celebration we pray to God Almighty to give us the strength to build a future which can live up to the expectations which the many sacrifices of the past have rightly created. The saddest part of history is when great sacrifices and acts of heroism are performed in vain because posterity falls to remember them, or even when remembering them fails to find from them the inspiration to build a better future. The events which we commemorate today are a mix of acts of heroism and a page of our history which was undoubtedly sad as the Zulu nation was at war with itself. The conflict between the Zulu nation was the product of colonial manipulation. We need to take heed from the lessons of the past to ensure that through our prayers God can finally give wisdom to the Zulu nation o be united again. Our nation has suffered for too long and too much because of its lack of internal unity which has always been promoted by the internal and external enemies of the Zulu nation. We pray to God Almighty that after so many years the Zulu nation may finally understand that even though we are part and parcel of a united South Africa, we must nonetheless close ranks in the defense and promotion of our Kingdom, which is now in great jeopardy. As we are convened here to pray. We must have clarity on what our prayers are for and how they relate to the events which we are celebrating. Our past has shown that our nation has suffered for too long and for too much and we must ensure that a new chapter will now open to enable our nation to live and prosper in unity and peace.