The IFP has called on KwaZulu-Natal Speaker Lydia Johnson to “Africanize the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature.”
Speaking during yesterday’s debate on the Legislature Budget Speech, IFP Member of the Provincial Legislature Joshua Mazibuko said it is time the Legislature must begin to decolonize this institution. Mazibuko said:
“Indeed as you approach this institution, both its exterior and interior tell you the story of the hunters. Yes there are photos inside which tell the story of the hunted. But these are not as pronounced as the story of the hunters.
“It is time we seriously considered beginning to Africanize this institution. One such step, we propose, may be the erection of the statue of King Cetshwayo which should stand parallel to that of Queen Victoria; just as the statue of King Dinuzulu which was erected next to that of General Louis Botha in eThekwini. Embarking on such a project will stand as proof that we are determined to make reconciliation tangible and to revisit our history so that it also reflects the story of the hunted. Why King Cetshwayo in particular? Because it was the warriors of this warrior King who faced and utterly humiliated the armies of this Queen at iSandlwana.”
The Speaker in her response indicated that she agreed with Mazibuko’s sentiments and that the Legislature will seriously look at the proposal.
Unlike the “#Rhodes must fall” campaign as well as the position taken by the EFF and other organizations who called for uprooting statues representing colonialism and apartheid, the IFP has called for King Cetshwayo’s statue to stand parallel to that of the British Monarch.
For Further Information:
M. Joshua Mazibuko
IFP MPL: KZN Legislature
0839926135