Date: 01/10/2011
Source: The Inkatha Freedom Party
Title: IFP: Buthelezi: Address by the president, at the Phambili Ntuthoko community cooperative meeting, KZN

I thank the Phambili Ntuthuko Community Development Cooperative for
inviting me to speak to you today, and I thank the local community for
welcoming me here as warmly as you always do.

I must first congratulate the people of this community for having this
Phambili Ntuthuko Community Development Cooperative. Cooperatives are
the first step towards real development. That is why when I was Chief
Minister of the KwaZulu Government I decided to send some of our then
young people to the Coady Institute at St Xavier University in Canada.
They went to study cooperatives and to learn about mobilisation of
savings. Some of these people became prominent leaders in our country.
One that all of you will remember was Ms Eileen Nokukhanya
KaNkosi-Shandu. As you know she not only became a Deputy Minister
under the National Government. But she was a leader of the IFP's
Women's Brigade and I appointed her as the first female Minister of
Education in KwaZulu Natal. I want to encourage members of this
cooperative because while you must expect government to help you with
taxpayers' money that both the provincial government and national
government control, you expect no more than government to help you to
help yourselves. Most people in this region know that I have always
believed in self-help and self-reliance as pillars of our philosophy
in guiding us as to what to do. My congratulations.

This area is a historic one because not so far from here is the grave
of the Queen Mother and mother of our founding King, Queen Nandi, King
Shaka's mother. We are also not far from the site of the KwaBulawayo
Royal Residence of King Shaka. This area is one of the mainsprings of
our culture.

This area under one of King Mpande's descendants has always been very
close to my heart. When I was a young leader in the 50's my late
uncle, the Prince of eHabeni, Prince Bhekeshowe was in charge of this
area. He was very fond of me and whenever we had conferences of
Amakhosi at Vuma Farm here in Eshowe, we were also closely together.
The Prince was Inkosi of this area. And the Prince spoiled me as his
nephew. He did not care that I was an Inkosi too but to him I was just
the son of his sister Princess Magogo ka Dinuzulu.

So it is very special for me to be here today. And it is inevitable
that I should remember the Prince when I am here as your guest in his
area which the Prince my cousin is now in charge of.

As you know, I have been Inkosi of the Buthelezi Clan for more than
half a century. In that time, I have seen South Africa move through
many seasons of turmoil and change. I have seen families and
communities forced apart by political and economic realities, and I
have seen people drawn together by the shared vision of political and
economic freedom. I have seen causes, like nature conservation, move
from the periphery of public debate to the centre stage. I have seen
hardship and poverty, as well as development and upliftment. I have
seen too many funerals, and the birth of a new dispensation.

In all of this, I have not been a mere spectator. I have borne the
responsibility of being a leader in my nation; being a Minister in the
national Cabinet for ten years and being appointed Acting President of
South Africa 22 times. I have never had the luxury of sitting on the
sidelines and passing comment on what should have been done for our
country. I have been in the midst of the decision-making; often as the
sole voice of reason, speaking truth to power. It has not been an easy
role.

But I have done it for the love of my country. I am a patriot at heart
and measure all I do against the yardstick of how much it will benefit
South Africa. I have put my desires and ambitions after the needs and
dreams of my country, for while my contribution can only be made in a
lifetime, the significance of what I do will last for generations to
come. I think this way not because I am possessed of any superior
abilities or calling, but because I am a South African who loves South
Africa.

I feel that anyone who loves their country should accept their own
role in making it better, safer, stronger, richer and more peaceful.
We are not merely citizens of this land, but custodians. The duty of
protecting and promoting our national heritage rests on us all. It is
not the job of Government alone, nor the preserve of leaders. Every
one of us is called to use our unique and God-given talents to
continually improve the future.

I do that through my capacity to mobilize people, my uncompromising
commitment to the truth, my experience in politics and my integrity.
Others do it through their service to humanity, as nurses, social
workers and caregivers. It can be done through supporting charitable
organizations, creating successful businesses, starting community
projects, empowering youth, working the land or building houses. There
are many ways we contribute to securing the future of our country. One
of the most important ? and often overlooked ? is through promoting
arts and culture.

I wish to thank the Phambili Ntuthuko Community Development
Cooperative for gathering us in this venue to speak about arts and
culture, and the power they have to unite us. I know that, through the
Cooperative, this community has hosted speakers on all manner of
topics, including education and employment. The issue of arts and
culture is no less important, even though we tend to relegate it to an
inferior status when faced with the immediate problems of how to
address poverty, ignorance, disease and criminality.

There are many serious challenges facing our country, and many of them
divide us. The high incidence of crime divides us by stirring fear and
suspicion. An embattled education system causes social division.
Racial tensions, pervasive corruption, unemployment, lack of
opportunity; all these bring divisions into our society. But none more
so than politics and ideological differences.

We all have our own ideas on how to solve the myriad problems facing
South Africa. The ANC Youth League and COSATU believe that we need to
nationalize our mines, for the sake of making a major break from the
way our economy has been run for decades. The IFP, on the other hand,
believes we need to grow our industrial bases, promote agriculture and
possibly even reform our monetary system to prevent South Africa from
becoming a welfare state. The IFP doesn't just want something
different. It wants something better. And we know that this will not
just rain on us from above, but we will have to do these things for
ourselves. Thus the importance of non-governmental organizations such
as Phambili Ntuthuko Development Cooperative.

But ideologies clash and politics brings division. The role of the
arts, I believe, is to engage people in thinking about issues, rather
than blindly following the dogma of leaders. South Africa is a nation
of artists. We have incredibly talented singers, musicians, dancers,
actors, poets and painters. Our range is also diverse, for we use
satire and cartoons as well as traditional story-telling and beadwork
to express our passion.

In so doing, we reach across the boundaries of race, language,
religion and background, to a shared pool of values, emotions and
dreams. Through art, people who are very different can begin to
understand one another. Through art, we can find commonality. This is
the power of art to unite. I encourage the community of Eshowe to
embrace art as a valuable means of expression. It can express
patriotism, discontent, hope and anger. It can also express identity.

This is perhaps one of the most valuable aspects of art; that it is
always located within a cultural context. When anthropologists try to
understand the essence of a people, they consider their art. Classical
music, for instance, expresses an ordered and rigidly structured
society; while jazz and rock speak of a society that is challenging
the boundaries of conformity. In the South African context, our art
often expresses our cultural identity and our heritage. It is a way we
express who we are, where we come from and where we belong.

As a traditional leader and the Prime Minister of the Zulu Nation,
protecting our cultural heritage has always been of the utmost
importance to me. I understand that culture is a powerful unifying
factor among people. People from the same culture tend to have an
innate understanding of each other, for they share a common foundation
of knowledge, beliefs and values. Even if people leave their own
cultural setting and immerse themselves in a different one ? as
sometimes happens when people leave rural areas to live in cities ?
your cultural framework stays intact and acts as a filter for your
experiences.

People often ask me if I feel torn between my different roles and
responsibilities. They see me in a business suit standing in the
national House of Parliament, but also in traditional dress at
cultural functions where I present His Majesty the King of the Zulu
Nation. I do not feel I can only be one or the other. I never cast off
my heritage to take up my responsibilities in Parliament or anywhere
else. When I have visited international dignitaries and Heads of
State, I have done so as a South African of Zulu extraction, as a
traditional leader, as a man steeped in the history, traditions and
values of my culture.

Some of you may know that I enjoyed a long friendship with Inkosi
Albert Luthuli, whom I consider one of my most significant mentors.
When my mother, Princess Magogo kaDinuzulu, asked me to return to
Mahlabathini in the fifties to take up my hereditary position as
Inkosi of the Buthelezi Clan, I was unsure what to do, for I had
intended to complete my legal articles. I was also politically active
and knew that the Government of the day would look upon me with
suspicion if I took a leadership position; which in fact they did,
refusing to fully recognize me as Inkosi of the Buthelezi Clan for the
first five years.

However, when I sought the advice of Inkosi Albert Luthuli, whom I
often turned to for guidance, he advised me to return to Mahlabathini.
He himself had given up a lucrative teaching position when the
community at Groutville Mission Reserve elected him as Inkosi of
Abasemakholweni in 1936. He understood the value of our heritage and
gave us the example of how a traditional leader can uplift a community
both spiritually and materially.

When Inkosi Luthuli became the first African to be awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize, in 1960, we discussed the value of his wearing
traditional dress when he accepted the Prize in Norway. I arranged for
him to be clad in the regalia of a Zulu warrior. In this way, Inkosi
Luthuli expressed the pride of Africa before the world, and struck a
blow to the Nationalist Party which sought to portray Africans as
savage and uneducated.

It was a small triumph for our nation, particularly after the insults
that were hurled at me a few years before when I announced to the Zulu
Nation that we were all to be clad in our indigenous attire during the
unveiling of the King Shaka statue in KwaDukuza by King Cyprian
Bhekuzulu Nyangayezizwe ka Solomon. Unfortunately, many missionaries
who brought us the gospel discouraged African proselytes from using
their indigenous attire or their African names, once they accepted
Christ. It was unashamed westernization of Africa's indigenes.
Everything African was "heathenish".

Today we have a better understanding across cultures, but there are
still issues of contention when it comes to cultural practices. I
think of the slaughter of the bull during the First Fruits ceremony
and how this caused an uproar amongst animal activists. And it still
surprises me when people misunderstand the significance and meaning
behind the Reed Dance festival, which celebrates the purity of our
young maidens. Some very ignorant comments have been made about our
cultural practices.

During last weekend's commemoration of King Shaka ka Senzangakhona, I
made the public statement that our nation's heritage contains powerful
tools and weapons for building South Africa and protecting its assets.
I believe His Majesty our King has made a remarkable contribution
towards re-instilling a sense of pride within our nation. We should
never be shy of our heritage or the traditional values of our culture.
They give us our identity.

I have often said that South Africa's diversity is its strength. For
this reason, I have never subscribed to the ruling Party's notion that
nation building demands the creation of a homogenized society. If we
were all the same, thought the same and acted the same, something very
valuable would be lost. The different people groups of South Africa
bring something different to the table, and through interaction that
respects and embraces our differences, we can strengthen our combined
contribution to South Africa's success.

The resilience and conservative values that often characterize
Afrikaners is needed in the new South Africa. The work ethic of the
Jewish community is valuable. The business acumen of the Indian
community can teach us a lot. I do not want to generalize or
over-simplify what each of us contributes to South Africa, or even
what makes us unique. But I think this illustrates how our strengths
can be harmonised and our weaknesses supplemented when we allow
diversity to flourish.

Diversity does not preclude unity. But I believe we must be aware of
the inherent potential for division that our diversity brings, and
constantly strive for reconciliation and unity. I am worried about the
degree to which our society remains fractured, even seventeen years
after democracy. While we have employed so much effort and time into
nation building, divisions are now being opened between South Africans
through the irresponsible comments and reckless behaviour of some of
our leaders.

The Equality Court, for instance, has ruled that the singing of Dubul'
iBhunu constitutes hate speech, but the ANC has rejected the ruling.
Since then, COSATU's President has led hundreds of shop stewards in
singing the song, in flagrant disregard of the Court's judgment. The
ANC Youth League is appealing the ruling, and Mr Julius Malema has
said that the Judge was letting Apartheid in "through the back door".

I disagree. In a democracy, no one should be singing about how they
want to kill their fellow citizens. This serves only to alienate a
portion of our population and drive a wedge between us. I believe we
must be careful at this juncture to create a heritage that will unite
the next generation. That can only be done by celebrating our cultures
in a way that promotes mutual respect, greater peace, reconciliation
and harmony.

I am pleased that the Phambili Ntuthuko Community Development
Cooperative has chosen to stimulate debate on the issue of arts and
culture as a unifying force. As a Zulu, I am proud of my culture. But
my heritage as a South African encompasses more than my ethnicity. I
have served the Zulu nation for many years, but I will serve South
Africa for my lifetime.

I thank you.