Honourable Speaker
 

I have come here today to pay my respects to my King, whom I consider to be one of the greatest Kings of our land since the reign of the King Shaka ka Senzangakhona.
 

The 60th birthday of His Majesty also marks the 36th anniversary of his reign. His Majesty's birthday is a special occasion because His Majesty is the longest-reigning monarch of Zulu royalty; in fact he is the first Zulu King to be blessed with 60 years of active life and service to his people. We wish him many more years to come.
 

His Majesty will agree with me when I say that his reign has perhaps been the most turbulent in the history of our country. It had to be so because it spans the period of the height of the struggle against apartheid.
 

On a festive and commemorative occasion like this, it is fitting to pay tribute to the anti-colonialist struggles of the Zulu royal house, a legacy dating from the days of the Kings Shaka, Dingane, Cetshwayo and their successors. His Majesty's father, King Cyprian ka Solomon, refused to collaborate with the apartheid authorities when the policy of Grand Apartheid was launched by the South African government. His Majesty maintained this tradition in his opposition to apartheid policies.
 

During the 1980s, His Majesty's uncle and Chief Minister of the erstwhile KwaZulu Government Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi refused repeated government offers of homeland independence; he preferred to retain the self-governing status that allowed the roughly four million residents of KwaZulu to be citizens of South Africa. During the apartheid era, many people in areas officially designated as KwaZulu were descendants of nineteenth-century Zulu warriors or subjects of the Zulu royal family, who retained a strong ethnic consciousness and pride in their Zulu identity. His Majesty, together with Prince Buthelezi, did their utmost to promote the Zulu cultural identity during that dark period in our recent history.
 

The erstwhile KwaZulu Government demonstrated its ultimate respect for His Majesty and the institution of monarchy when it, in the early 1970s, made a legislative provision for the Zulu King in lieu of the his former designation as the paramount chief which was a humiliating post-1879 invention by the colonial authorities.
 

This treatment of the Zulu monarch by the executive branch of government differed starkly from the attitude of the incumbent KwaZulu Natal provincial government which in 2005 piloted the infamous Traditional Leadership and Governance Act. This piece of legislation has effectively placed the institution of monarchy, its activities and even internal succession, under the Premier's control.
 

His Majesty might recall the sometimes turbulent relations that arose among his people as a result of the conflict ignited by apartheid. It must be said that amid the sinister forces that sought to foment war and mayhem among the Zulu people, His Majesty always stood on the side of those who strove for peace, stability and prosperity of his people.
 

Indeed, our King has been the most consistent voice and campaigner for peace and unity among his people.
 

It is largely due to his ceaseless commitment to peace that stability and peace have come to the province of KwaZulu Natal. Today as ever His Majesty's work on behalf of his people is giving fresh meaning to the new South African patriotism. Indeed His Majesty continues to act as a bulwark of hope of a stable, secure and bright future to all South Africans.
 

I would also like to take this opportunity to hail His Majesty the King of the Zulu nation for having heard the call of danger which has now been rising from within the inner soul of the Zulu nation, and for having joined hands with amaKhosi and other structures of our nation to ensure that the message about HIV/Aids is understood by all and is heard throughout all our communities.

When confronted with the likelihood, if not the imminence, of widespread death, it becomes clear that we as a nation must be united and must operate with unity of purpose and unity of leadership. His Majesty has lived up to this challenge by urging national unity in our fight against the deadly pandemic.

On a more personal note, I have had the singular privilege of working with His Majesty closely in my capacity as District Education Officer at Nongoma between 1975 and 1983. I was taken by His Majesty's overriding concern for the welfare of the Zulu people as much as by his wide-ranging interest in and knowledge of agriculture. The latter was not merely an intellectual pastime. His Majesty was and still is an agriculturalist in his own right, setting an example in maize cultivation and cattle breeding.
 

The latter interest made His Majesty an enthusiastic participant in annual agricultural shows where our traditional communities exhibited the best of their produce and cattle. His Majesty was also widely known for selling the best available livestock at annual agricultural sales at Mona. His credentials as an accomplished agriculturalist earned His Majesty a very deserved honorary degree from the University of Zululand.

His Majesty's keen interest in agricultural techniques was only matched by his passion for education. His Majesty was tireless in encouraging our people to make sacrifices towards construction of community schools, which were also a priority of the erstwhile KwaZulu Government which, in accordance with its philosophy of self-help and self-reliance, met the communities' needs halfway.
 

I have also known His Majesty as a kind and approachable individual who has always been open to sensible advice in all matters, and above all those pertaining to the well-being and development of our traditional communities.
 

Your Majesty, I am honoured to have a King like you. I am certain that this is the feeling of all South Africans, not only us gathered here today. May you enjoy many more years of good life and health.

The Official Opposition in KwaZulu Natal, which I represent as leader, extends its warm wishes to His Majesty the King Goodwill Zwelithini Kabhekuzulu on the occasion of his 60th birthday. The Inkatha Freedom Party continues to appreciate the leadership and developmental role His Majesty has played, over many years, in agriculture, economy, culture and heritage of this province.
 

We take advantage of this important day to reaffirm our commitment to continue to work with His Majesty the King in our efforts to achieve social stability and economic growth within the democratic framework of the new South Africa. Your Majesty, happy 60th birthday from all of us!

I thank you.

Contact: Dr Lionel Mtshali, 083 256 4902