THE 120^TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ANGLO-ZULU WAR

MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA)

ISANDLWANA: JANUARY 22, 1999

Mr Master of Ceremonies, the Prince of KwaZiphethe, Prince Gideon ka Mnyayiza, the KwaZulu Natal Minister of Welfare and Population Development, and Mr Arthur Konigkramer, the Chairman of the KwaZulu Natal Monuments Council; your Majesty the King of the Zulu Nation and members of the Zulu Royal House; amaKhosi present; the Honourable Premier of the Province, Dr BS Ngubane and KwaZulu Natal Ministers; the Honourable Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, Mr LPHM Mtshali; the Honourable Minister of Defence, Mr Joe Modise and the Honourable Deputy Minister of Defence, Mr Ronnie Kasrils; other Ministers and Deputy Ministers present; the Field Marshall, the Lord Vincent and members of the Royal Welsh Regiment; members of the Zulu Regiments; members of the South African Defence Force; members of Die Hards; members of the national Parliament and members of the KwaZulu Natal Legislature; the Chairman and members of the KwaZulu Natal Heritage Foundation; the Chairman and members of the South African Monuments Council; Chairpersons of Regional Councils; Mayors present; Mr David Rattray of Fugitives Drift Lodge; Ms Maggie Bryant and Ms Pat Stubbs of Isandlwana Lodge; Councillors, Indunas and all other distinguished guests present here today.

This is a great moment in the history of the Zulu nation. We are unveiling a monument which for the first time is dedicated to the brave Zulu people who fought and died for the freedom of our Kingdom. On this battlefield the Zulu nation fought for its existence and wrote one of the most glorious pages in the history of black Africa. Never before had a black nation dared to confront the full might of a European army, and never before and never since had a European army found defeat when confronted by the valour and courage of a black nation. The courage of the Zulu people by itself triumphed over the overwhelming power of rifles. Because of the Zulu victory at the Battle of Isandlwana, the British Empire had to employ a greater number of soldiers to subjugate the Zulu Kingdom than it did to conquer the whole of India.

This monument represents the pride of that day and the dream of the liberty and freedom of our people. This dream continued for many decades after the Battle of Isandlwana and after the Battle of Ulundi and ran like a golden thread which held together one hundred and twenty years of liberation struggle. Our liberation struggle was promoted by the Zulu Kings and by the Zulu amaKhosi who were instrumental in the creation of the first nuclei of black awareness after the Bambatha Rebellion of 1906. The legacy of the Battle of Isandlwana ran deep and powerful in each of us who dedicated our lives to the day in which our people could rise again in freedom and independence with all other people who have since settled within the territory of our Kingdom.

The Battle of Isandlwana was the result of a lack of harmony within the settlement pattern of Europeans which our own Kings had embraced with open arms. We had enabled Europeans to become welcome members of our communities. After one hundred and twenty years we are now finally in a position to give full recognition to the call of freedom for all the diverse people of our Kingdom in this province, within the parameters of harmony and mutual respect. This monument is to signify how the powerful memories of the Battle of Isandlwana can now triumph in a statement of peace, reconciliation, mutual respect and harmony. The descendants of those who once confronted one another on this battlefield know that they are now brothers and sisters dedicated to a common struggle for social and economic development, social justice and law and order. It has not been easy to relate towards each other as whites and blacks of this land, but we have finally reached the point where South Africa is today politically emancipated.

Two great nations confronted one another on this field. The pride of Africa and the pride of Europe stood face to face, both carrying behind them centuries of traditions, customs and a profound sense of law, order and respect. Both nations always believed in the supremacy of respect, law and order, social organisation and social stability. The Anglo-Zulu War indeed juxtaposed people who could have, and should have worked together but tragically closed that possibility which now after one hundred and twenty years can finally be seized and brought to its full realisation. The descendants of those who once fought on this battlefield are now ready to go forth and recognise that the ancestry of their heritage is one of civilisation, law, order and unwavering commitment towards the everlasting human struggle for progress and better conditions of life. Together we can now engage in the most important of all battles, which is that for economic prosperity and social stability.

It is a matter of great pride that we stand on this historic spot commemorating the 120^th anniversary of the Anglo-Zulu War with the great-great-grandson of King Cetshwayo ka Mpande and his heir who is our present King. King Cetshwayo tried very hard to avoid the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 but certain people on the spot, such as Sir Bartle Frere, were determined "to break Zulu power once and for all." I stand here also as the maternal great-grandson of King Cetshwayo, the grandfather of my mother, Princess Constance Magogo ka Dinuzulu, to introduce King Cetshwayo's great-great-grandson and heir to his throne, who is the King of our Nation.

For me it is an emotional moment of great magnitude that I also stand here as the paternal great-grandson of the man who was Prime Minister of the Kingdom at the time and Commander-in-Chief of all the Zulu forces, Mnyamana Buthelezi, Inkosi Mathole Buthelezi's grandfather, who was my father. Amongst those who fought in the battle of Isandlwana was my grandfather, Mkhandumba ka Mnyamana Buthelezi whose half brother, Mntumengana ka Mnyamana died here. Mkhandumba survived after fighting in that battle to earn himself the praises: "UNOSHWILA NSIMBI NGAMLENZE ESANDLWANA" - the one who bent the iron with his legs at Isandlwana. Tragically his brother, Mntumengana died here and was buried here by Mkhandumba himself. His mortal remains are therefore somewhere here. We do not know the actual spot but it is somewhere here where lie the mortal remains of other great Zulu warriors. Great warriors such as Ntshingwayo ka Mahole Khoza, who was in command of the Regiments on that day, distinguished themselves here.

Members of the Zulu Royal House, King Cetshwayo's brothers such as Prince Dabulamanzi ka Mpande, distinguished themselves in that battle. Many descendants of many of the amaKhosi who are here today distinguished themselves in that battle. Mvundlana, a son of Inkosi Biyela, like Mntumengana Buthelezi, was also killed during that great fight, as were several others too numerous to mention by name, just within these few minutes. I am proud of the fact that amaKhosi as descendants of those brave warriors of the King have made contributions towards the erection of the monument to the Zulu warriors which our King will be unveiling today.

You will understand from the background and the genealogical details that I have given you, why I am emotional about the job assigned to me today to present His Majesty to all of you assembled here on this historic occasion. All that has happened in the past five years cannot alter the fact that running in the King's veins, and also running in my veins, is the blood of King Cetshwayo who is our King's paternal great-great-grandfather, the same King Cetshwayo who is my maternal great-grandfather. His Majesty's maternal grandmother, Mcebile ka Ndulungo Buthelezi, was a grand-daughter of Prime Minister Mnyamana. So again, Mnyamana's blood courses in His Majesty's veins as much as it does in my own veins.

From every point of view we are the heirs of the Battle of Isandlwana, and together with amaKhosi and other Zulus assembled here, we are those who have been honoured and burdened by history with the duty of carrying forward the legacy of its dream, which can now be fulfilled in a framework of liberty and freedom for all in South Africa, regardless of race.

The presence here today of the Lord Marshall, the Lord Vincent, and members of the Royal Welsh Regiment and the Die Hards, has made this a very special commemoration. Without their presence our cup of joy at paying tribute to these great men on both the Zulu and British sides, would never have over-flowed as it does, because of their presence here today.

The King will speak once again to his father's people who are the people of his great-grandfather, King Cetshwayo. Our dream remains the dream which, on this battlefield, defeated through valour and courage the greed of colonialism which was supported by the power of gunfire. As the King speaks and as I speak, through our voices come the voices of those who died 120 years after and throughout the struggle for liberation. That voice may be heard in the mystical union made possible when one generation picks up and carries forward the dreams and aspirations of the generation which preceded it. We need to give full recognition to the voice of those who once lived and gave their life in the ultimate sacrifice in order to give life to that dream. We must hear the voice of those who died on this battlefield and those who in the following one hundred and twenty years continued to die or endure untold human suffering and sacrifices to keep the cause of a dream alive to this day.

This is the day on which a monument will be unveiled to make this dream last forever and remain a symbol of our everlasting dedication to the independence and freedom of our Kingdom. We must now hear the voice of those who died and hear the voice of those who in our posterity will come long after the time when we shall be no longer. Those voices merge in a common call which spells out the imperative for which this monument now stands. This is the imperative of building a new country which can fulfil the dream of economic prosperity and social stability. This monument shows how the dream is indeed possible and within our reach.

This monument has been built together with a large tourist initiative of international scope which puts it among the tourist sites of worldwide interest. It is the first time that an initiative of this type has been developed in our province in what once was black land and now remains under the control of our structures of traditional leadership. I must thank the visionary overseas investors who have seen the wisdom of riding the crest of the aspirations of the Zulu nation. I must particularly praise Maggie Bryant and Pat Stubbs, who are the two American investors who provided the funding to develop the soon-to-be-completed lodge, which will be providing tourist facilities to all those who wish to visit the historical and sacred site on which this monument now stands.

They have invested in the Zulu nation and the Zulu nation will make sure that the trust they have put in us will not be betrayed. I particularly appreciate the fact that they accepted to work within the parameters of our culture and traditions and relied on the value of the Permission to Occupy which was given to them. This proves once again that economic development and our traditional model of societal organisation not only can be reconciled, but are indeed a winning formula which provides through its synergies greater opportunities than many of the other formulas which were experimented with in the past, and failed because they were based on greed alone.

The tourist initiative which is taking place on this site will succeed because it is based on the sound principle of a genuine partnership between the investors and the community of Isandlwana who will both benefit from its success. This investment in this region by American investors is a further demonstration of how this site has developed important ties with the American people, for its importance was brought to the attention of the world at large to a great extent by the famous book of the American writer Donald Morris, The washing of the spears which described this battle in detail and is up to now a collector's piece. Donald Morris remains to this day a friend of the Zulu Nation and of the people of South Africa.

The importance of this monument and the fact that it continues to carry the dream of the legacy of the Battle of Isandlwana is also reinforced by the fact that this monument, as I have stated, was made possible by the personal contribution of the amaKhosi of our Kingdom. The amaKhosi of our Kingdom fought and died in the Battle of Isandlwana. AmaKhosi of our Kingdom made this monument possible because for the last one hundred and twenty years, they have carried the dream of the legacy of the Battle of Isandlwana into our struggle for liberation. It was therefore very fitting for them to rise to the honour and carry the burden of making this onerous personal contribution to make this monument possible. AmaKhosi remain the bridge through which social and economic development can be fostered in rural areas. Their contribution to this monument is part of building the bridge between our past of struggle and our future of prosperity. AmaKhosi of KwaZulu Natal are the pillars of the Kingdom.

I am convinced that amaKhosi will remain the driving force within our shared efforts to build a new country in which our Kingdom can prosper as an autonomous part of a united South Africa. The contribution given by amaKhosi to the construction of this monument is a further demonstration of their love for our Kingdom and their sense of responsibility to our nation, which confirms them once again as the backbone of our Kingdom. Their contribution also supports the proposition that the purpose of this monument is not only to celebrate, but indeed that of building and developing. This monument intends to spearhead the tourist industry in this region as the springboard towards further economic development. This monument has been built as a hope to economic development and, with their contribution, amaKhosi have pledged their support towards these efforts.

It is not only amaKhosi who have pledged to support economic development in this region. It is with great pleasure that I can announce that in connection with the construction of this monument a new important initiative has been launched at international level to attract foreign investment to support rural development in this area. The Isandlwana Appeal has been established and it has been subscribed to by the Prince of Wales, His Royal Highness Prince Charles, and I myself, as the main trustees. It will be administered by the Heritage Council of KwaZulu Natal. This initiative shows how we can transform the celebration of the past into a tangible commitment to build a better future. This signifies how this monument is indeed not a symbol of our recording a grudge against the colonial experience. It wishes to remain only a symbol to our valour and to the courage of the Zulu nation. It is a tribute to all those who lost their lives here on both sides of the conflict in a war that was fought for wrong reasons.

We need the same bravery and courage in order to build our country into a new one, with a strong and stable system which strives for the prosperity of all. It takes the loyalty of an entire people to bring an individual to work hard, suffer and sacrifice in the face of adversity. It is, in a sense, anachronistic to consider any individual under an obligation to give their life for their people, yet it is necessary that in the present the level of commitment be equal. The sense of patriotic unity, of belonging to a cohesive whole, which is eminent on the battlefield, is the very sense which can carry a nation through any difficulty, any degree of oppression, to emerge victorious and intact as a people.

I hope that henceforth the progenies of those ancestors who once fought the Anglo-Zulu War and those who fought the Anglo-Boer War, and the many other wars which once divided, can now fight together with the same passion, courage and dedication against our country's great enemies, which are the social evils of criminality, poverty, social injustice, indolence and rebellion. I believe that in witnessing the remarkable re-enactment of the Battle of Isandlwana here today, we will have been inspired once again with a fighting spirit which will not back down in the face of the great obstacles which confront us.

I wish to thank the organisers of this day's events for following the inspiration which they have felt in confronting such a remarkable historical tale, and for putting so much effort into constructing a worthy commemoration. In this respect I offer my gratitude to the Die Hard Historical Military Re-enactment Team who has once again today breathed life into our history. I have great admiration for the Die Hard Historical Military Re-enactment Team which for so many years has been performing an invaluable educational role. The Die Hard Team has enabled people to experience that which is no longer part of our daily lives and has provided an historical testimony and educational opportunity without equal.

There is great cathartic value in revisiting with the memory and true re-enactment the glory and the horrors of war. Re-enactment brings the full sensory impact of an experience which, through history books and academic reading, may have become one-dimensional and incapable of stirring the senses. As we celebrate this important anniversary of the Anglo-Zulu War we must accept being drawn into a world which seems so far removed from where we are now. The harsh and all-consuming passion of battle reminds us not only of the valour of those defending their nation, but of the deep ties of patriotism which would cause a man to perish for his queen and to lay down his life for his king.

On an occasion such as this, it is natural for me to think of the great progress we have made since that day. Often progress can indeed be marked by the trend of moving away from war, mass slaughter and armed conflict to focus on the shared plight and common aspirations of humanity. Indeed, I feel that today we are witnessing remarkable progress as we share together with those who have gathered from around the world, the re-enactment of the combat which divided our forefathers in what we wish to regard as a long bygone era.

The distance from us of such an era is, however, not in terms of time, for I deeply treasure the memory of my maternal great-grandfather, King Cetshwayo, and my paternal grandfather, Mnyamana Buthelezi, who both inspired and led the Zulu troops in the Battle of Ulundi and the Battle of Isandlwana respectively. What truly creates distance from those tragic events is our having learned the value of co-operation over the lure of confrontation. Today we are unveiling a memorial dedicated to the Zulu people. I believe that this memorial will not only be a testament to the bravery and sacrifice of our predecessors who fought the Battle of Isandlwana and every other battle during the Anglo-Zulu War, but it is also a tribute to the unity of a people who stood firm against the destruction of their culture, their presence and their way of life. It is a tribute to a co-operation which extends beyond the bounds of the battlefield to permeate the very soul of the Zulu nation.

It is an honour for me, the great-grandson of Mnyamana Buthelezi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Zulu forces, to introduce on this occasion the great-great-grandson of King Cetshwayo, whose people fought so bravely here, His Majesty King Zwelithini Goodwill ka Bhekuzulu. Our King remains the embodiment of the sum total of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meaning, religion, customs and way of life of our people. Through his position he bears our heritage, concretises our present and guides our future. What has passed and what is to come is bound up within the presence of our King, who represents to his people the continuity of the Zulu nation. It is an honour to celebrate the 120^th anniversary of the Anglo-Zulu War with the words of our King and I thank the Almighty for preserving His Majesty to witness this inspiring occasion. Although we have been on this spot together in the past when I presented His Majesty to those who are assembled here, it is today a very special occasion that I do so.

Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to present once again His Majesty the King of the Zulu Nation to his father's people and to all the people assembled here on this historic occasion. In unveiling this monument His Majesty will perform an act which will not only portray the bravery of our ancestors, but will undoubtedly pledge our existence to fulfilling the promise to our future generations to ensure that they will be born in a country which can finally fulfil their ancestors' dreams and aspirations.

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