via Imbizo crowd boos non-Zulu speakers – NewsDay Zimbabwe April 20, 2015
The crowd at the anti-xenophobia imbizo in Durban, spearheaded by King Goodwill Zwelithini, booed all who tried to address the crowd that is not Zulu.
Mail and Guardian Online
As Hindu priest, Ashwin Trikamjee recited a prayer the crowd started booing him.
They wanted Trikamjee to get off the stage and clapped when he finally stepped down.
MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu urged the crowd to calm down.
“Please, people, these are just prayers. Please behave yourselves,” said the MEC.
The crowds continued to boo priests who were not Zulu.
As a Muslim cleric took the stage the crowds continued to jeer despite the fact that he spoke Zulu.
“As a Muslim, the King is the father of all nations,” he said to the crowd.
Nearly 5 000 Zulu Amabutho (regiments) have descended on the Moses Mabhida ahead of Zwelithini’s address.
With traditional weapons held aloft, the group moved around the stadium singing in Zulu.
The songs have a loaded message of aggression, and the undertone is one that supports a call for foreigners to leave the country.
High profile politicians present
This flies in the face of the stance taken by the state in addressing the spate of violent attacks, which have seen thousands of foreign nationals displaced and seven people killed.
Mabuyakhulu welcomed everyone present, Amakhosi’s, councillors, Izinduna, MECs, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Senzo Mchunu, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba, State Security Minister David Mahlobo and all religious leaders.
The crowd at the stadium booed all the international guests Mabuyakhulu introduced.
“We need to behave in front of the king and show respect,” he told the crowd.
“We need to listen carefully as our leaders speak today. We also wish for everyone to say something, they should be given respect. If we do that we would have respected the king,” urged Mabuyakhulu.
More than 10 000 people including Amakhosi, Izinduna, and Amabutho are expected to listen to Zwelithini as he addresses matters relating to the recent xenophobic attacks in the province.
Earlier, Amabutho were singing: “Elethu izwe, owani umbango [What’s the rivalry for]?”
When a News24 reporter asked one of the singers what the song meant he said “this is our nation, why do we have to share it with other nations”.
News24 understands that over 300 Amakhosis have been locked in a private meeting with the King since earlier on Monday morning.
COMMENTS
South Africans are a SHAME..I pity u
The generality of the Zulu people do not want foreigners in their country.The king may claim that he never called his people to attack foreigners but his latest rally has exposed the conspiracy to rid SA of foreigners.When statements like “we should not share our country with foreigners” emerge at a ” peace rally” it becomes clear what the Zulu intentions are. It becomes equally frightening when a Zulu is head of state.
The Zulu are the only people in Africa brave enough to tell our useless leaders to get their act together. They too are tired of leaders playing up and taking other Africans for granted . Unfortunately others are paying the price but hopefully this will make leaders in the region and elsewhere work to sort out their internal problems or else there will be mass exodus of people out of South Africa thus affecting their economy more than other countries.
@Nyoni. With all due respect, your comment is meaningless and self-contradictory. Zulu’s are not known for being smart. If they were smart they would respect foreigners because most of the so-called foreigners are actually Zulu people who migrated 100 years ago. Further, the foreigners work very hard and pay taxes so that the Zulus can get social benefits.Further, the Zulus never addressed any leader in the region, they just attacked vulnerable men, women and children indiscriminately. If anything, the Zulu King must be arrested for crimes against humanity.
South Africans have shown the world that they can be worse than animals whenever they choose to be. The situation is not helped by a mostly indifferent president Zuma and the inflammatory statements by the leader of the Boko Zulu, Goodwill Zwelithini.
There should be an Inquiry led by the UNCHR on who incited this incident and the people brought to book and not leave it to the South African authorities .
Look what happened to Marikana in SA it took SA a long time because they were under pressure to investigate it or probably were reluctant to do so
Whilst not excusing in any way the recent events in the Rainbow Nation, one must feel for the Zulus and the rest of the South Africans.
Their territory is under siege and it was inevitable a reaction would follow, barbaric though its been.
One only has to look at Italy, France and the UK and the reaction of the right wing element in these countries to the spate of immigrant invasion, to appreciate what South Africa is going through.
I agree with you in toto. The only difference is that citizens of the other countries are more rational and civilised and do not spill blood. Zulus still live in pre-historic times.
Why don’t we invite 3,000,000 (3 MILLION) South Africa poor people to Zimbabwe to take our JOBS and see how we feel! If the economy was not wrecked by stupid policies there would be no reason for Zimbos to be in South Africa at all in the first place (Remove the log from your eye before removing the spec from your brothers) Problem solved EASY!!!