Durban — King Misuzulu has called for a special summit to discuss strategies to end the killing of traditional leaders and the mass murders that have persisted in KwaZulu-Natal.
Speaking at the opening of the KZN Legislature in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday, the king said the summit must include amakhosi, the government, police and other stakeholders where strategies to end the scourge would have to be developed.
He stated that one of his visions was to see a peaceful society where no one would live in fear.
The king said he was disturbed that there were firearms in the hands of criminals which were used in mass shootings in South African cities and in the rural areas.
King Misuzulu explained how he saw the role of Ubukhosi (kingship) in the healing and sustenance of South Africa.
“The traditional leadership is pivotal and amakhosi are the pillars of the royalty and the kingpins of the Zulu Monarch,” he said.
The king’s denouncement of violence and a request for a special summit on crime was widely welcomed by the provincial government, police and opposition parties.
Transport, Safety and Community Liaison MEC Sipho Hlomuka said the king’s call was spot-on, while Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi would announce the date of the summit after the opening of the House of Traditional Leaders which would take place in Ulundi next week and also after consultation with King Misuzulu.
Sithole-Moloi said the summit would also focus on the killing of amakhosi.
Inkatha Freedom Party president Velenkosini Hlabisa said the killing of amakhosi and cross-border crime was a concern.
Hlabisa was disturbed by the recent killing of Judas Mthethwa, who was a community activist fighting cross-border incidents, where armed criminals were hijacking vehicles and selling them in Mozambique.
DA provincial leader Francois Rogers said he had written to former premier Sihle Zikalala and asked him to organise the summit, but this did not happen.
The king also denounced gender-based violence and voiced concern about the safety of women and children who were not receiving enough support.
He said he would use the Ingonyama Trust to improve the lives of people. In ensuring that traditional leaders and institutions were part of the solution when it comes to development, King Misuzulu said he was endorsing the concept of Ingonyama Rural Development Forum, an initiative started by his father, the late king Zwelithini.
He said the idea was supported by the AU and the provincial government. King Misuzulu said the forum comprised an informal network of traditional leaders, experts, research institutions, businesses and policymakers under the rubric of rural development.
He also emphasised the importance of cultural tourism, adding that his office together with the government would soon launch the Royal Tourism Destination Initiative which would create job opportunities.
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