Date: 24/09/2006
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
Title: Ndebele: King Shaka Commemoration Heritage Day
Speech delivered at King Shaka Commemoration Heritage Day by Dr S J Ndebele, Premier of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, KwaDukuza
Greetings,
His Majesty, our King, we have assembled here today on invitation by the provincial government of KwaZulu-Natal, so we can remember the day of the passing away of King Shaka. He died on 24 September 1828. King Shaka, who had ascended the throne in 1816 had utilised the 12 years between 1816 and 1828 to unite all people in this region and build the Zulu nation. He wanted to lay new foundations for the new Zulu nation, a Zulu Kingdom which functioned as a federation of clans and willing people who co-operated under the king's new vision.
We remember King Shaka not only because he was a local hero, but also an African hero whom the rest of the world admires even today. He is widely regarded globally as having been a very intelligent leader and a genius of his time. We remember King Shaka because he stood for unity urging all people to work together. He was adamant that only through hard work and dedication will the new Zulu Kingdom be built. He was strong on identity and made Zulu people famous throughout the world.
Every time we remember him, we are also reminded that he was born and brought up by a single mother, Queen Nandi, who through dedication and focus was able to help her son achieve his goals. We know that the Queen went through a lot of pain, just to bring her son up and help him realise his dreams. There are many others who contributed towards King Shaka's focused upbringing. Much has been researched and written about him. We remember the role of Mdlaka KaNcindi of the Ntshangase who was King Shaka's most trusted general in the struggle for unity. We remember Ngomane of the Mdletshe and many others who came from different clans and joined King Shaka's struggle for unity, unity at all costs.
King Shaka was always on the move; consulting, attacking, urging for and demanding excellence, installing amakhosi and doing anything possible in order to bring about peace and development to his people. He always wanted the best for his people. Yes, many wars were fought during his reign. But they were wars which had peace as the ultimate objective. He wanted to eliminate ethnicity and tribalism. This explains why his troops came from different tribal groups. Thus the Amaphela Regiment came from the Ndwandwe following his defeat of Zwide in the Battle of Umhlathuze in 1818, while the Iziyendane Regiment came from the Drakensberg region and consisted of Amahlubi and the San. They had joined the kingdom in 1819. Therefore, many people co-operated with King Shaka in the struggle for unity, peace and development.
We, the living have a responsibility to nurture this history, conduct extensive research on it and store it in our museums, libraries and archives, so that our future generations can remember us as people who, upon seeing value in this history, did something about it. The government of the province of KwaZulu-Natal has decided to actively embark on heritage renewal in the province. The project to construct statues for King Cetshwayo and Dinuzulu will soon be finalised. Again the project to construct the gigantic statue of King Shaka on the banks of UThukele River will soon commence. We will soon construct multimedia centres at eMakhosini and eSandlwana.
The African Renaissance movement is gaining momentum. The colloquiums on local heritage forums, the isiZulu Literature Heritage, KwaZulu-Natal History Project and the KwaZulu-Natal Music Heritage Project, all of which we held during September 2006, have re-affirmed to us that the people of the province love their history and their heritage. We therefore need to create conditions for KwaZulu-Natal's heritage renewal to happen.
The programmes to commemorate Inkosi Bhambatha Zondi and the 1906 Poll Tax Uprisings as well as Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha have clearly demonstrated to us that which can be done to revive our heritage. We have to present our heritage in a balanced way that is guided by the Constitution. We should use music, the arts, research and teaching to ensure that the history of all the people of KwaZulu-Natal is renewed and preserved. That is what King Shaka would have loved us to do.
This is why we support all private and public programmes to document, collect, preserve and promote the heritage of KwaZulu-Natal. These may be at universities, among the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and community-based organisations (CBOs) and among government departments and parastatals or statutory bodies. Government needs the collective effort of everyone to make KwaZulu-Natal heritage renewal possible.
Yesterday we were at the University of Zululand where, as the Office of the Premier, we collaborated with KwaZulu-Natal's finest choirs as well as the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra and the public to celebrate our heritage through the heritage of choral music, in line with this year's national heritage theme and agenda for heritage renewal in the country. We have unearthed new choral music compositions on Bhambatha and Gandhi, while reviving the music of Reuben Tholakele Caluza. We will soon be unearthing new compositions on Chief Albert Luthuli and others.
King Shaka was bold and majestic. Born of and raised by a single mother, he never lost focus in terms of what he wanted to achieve. His mission was unity of all people at all costs. His reign came at a time when there had been a period of prolonged drought ? called Madlantule. His ideas of peace and unity were much welcomed by many very powerful clans like the Mthethwas, the Ntuli's, the Shezis and many others.
He was a strategist and a military commander par excellence .He altered the nature of fighting and peace-making in this region. Most historical literature regards him as one of the great military geniuses of his age. Modern research has shown that the Kingdom of the Zulu under King Shaka was not a monolithic, highly centralised entity .He ruled by consensus, and allowed many clans to join the kingdom in celebration of unity .He left a framework for Zuluness, which included decisiveness, dignity and respect, loyalty, and humility.
The government of the province of KwaZulu-Natal believes that much can be derived from these values, in their modern forms in order to allow the legacy of King Shaka to live on .We are moving towards an era when our cultural and natural heritage is going to define the provincial agenda for identity, iconicity and local economic development. As we profile our heritage we are continuously learning about its significance in the lives of our people. "His majesty, our King," I am positive that King Shaka's desire to build unity, peace and development will soon be achieved in this province.
I thank you.
Issued by: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
24 September 2006
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
Title: Ndebele: King Shaka Commemoration Heritage Day
Speech delivered at King Shaka Commemoration Heritage Day by Dr S J Ndebele, Premier of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, KwaDukuza
Greetings,
His Majesty, our King, we have assembled here today on invitation by the provincial government of KwaZulu-Natal, so we can remember the day of the passing away of King Shaka. He died on 24 September 1828. King Shaka, who had ascended the throne in 1816 had utilised the 12 years between 1816 and 1828 to unite all people in this region and build the Zulu nation. He wanted to lay new foundations for the new Zulu nation, a Zulu Kingdom which functioned as a federation of clans and willing people who co-operated under the king's new vision.
We remember King Shaka not only because he was a local hero, but also an African hero whom the rest of the world admires even today. He is widely regarded globally as having been a very intelligent leader and a genius of his time. We remember King Shaka because he stood for unity urging all people to work together. He was adamant that only through hard work and dedication will the new Zulu Kingdom be built. He was strong on identity and made Zulu people famous throughout the world.
Every time we remember him, we are also reminded that he was born and brought up by a single mother, Queen Nandi, who through dedication and focus was able to help her son achieve his goals. We know that the Queen went through a lot of pain, just to bring her son up and help him realise his dreams. There are many others who contributed towards King Shaka's focused upbringing. Much has been researched and written about him. We remember the role of Mdlaka KaNcindi of the Ntshangase who was King Shaka's most trusted general in the struggle for unity. We remember Ngomane of the Mdletshe and many others who came from different clans and joined King Shaka's struggle for unity, unity at all costs.
King Shaka was always on the move; consulting, attacking, urging for and demanding excellence, installing amakhosi and doing anything possible in order to bring about peace and development to his people. He always wanted the best for his people. Yes, many wars were fought during his reign. But they were wars which had peace as the ultimate objective. He wanted to eliminate ethnicity and tribalism. This explains why his troops came from different tribal groups. Thus the Amaphela Regiment came from the Ndwandwe following his defeat of Zwide in the Battle of Umhlathuze in 1818, while the Iziyendane Regiment came from the Drakensberg region and consisted of Amahlubi and the San. They had joined the kingdom in 1819. Therefore, many people co-operated with King Shaka in the struggle for unity, peace and development.
We, the living have a responsibility to nurture this history, conduct extensive research on it and store it in our museums, libraries and archives, so that our future generations can remember us as people who, upon seeing value in this history, did something about it. The government of the province of KwaZulu-Natal has decided to actively embark on heritage renewal in the province. The project to construct statues for King Cetshwayo and Dinuzulu will soon be finalised. Again the project to construct the gigantic statue of King Shaka on the banks of UThukele River will soon commence. We will soon construct multimedia centres at eMakhosini and eSandlwana.
The African Renaissance movement is gaining momentum. The colloquiums on local heritage forums, the isiZulu Literature Heritage, KwaZulu-Natal History Project and the KwaZulu-Natal Music Heritage Project, all of which we held during September 2006, have re-affirmed to us that the people of the province love their history and their heritage. We therefore need to create conditions for KwaZulu-Natal's heritage renewal to happen.
The programmes to commemorate Inkosi Bhambatha Zondi and the 1906 Poll Tax Uprisings as well as Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha have clearly demonstrated to us that which can be done to revive our heritage. We have to present our heritage in a balanced way that is guided by the Constitution. We should use music, the arts, research and teaching to ensure that the history of all the people of KwaZulu-Natal is renewed and preserved. That is what King Shaka would have loved us to do.
This is why we support all private and public programmes to document, collect, preserve and promote the heritage of KwaZulu-Natal. These may be at universities, among the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and community-based organisations (CBOs) and among government departments and parastatals or statutory bodies. Government needs the collective effort of everyone to make KwaZulu-Natal heritage renewal possible.
Yesterday we were at the University of Zululand where, as the Office of the Premier, we collaborated with KwaZulu-Natal's finest choirs as well as the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra and the public to celebrate our heritage through the heritage of choral music, in line with this year's national heritage theme and agenda for heritage renewal in the country. We have unearthed new choral music compositions on Bhambatha and Gandhi, while reviving the music of Reuben Tholakele Caluza. We will soon be unearthing new compositions on Chief Albert Luthuli and others.
King Shaka was bold and majestic. Born of and raised by a single mother, he never lost focus in terms of what he wanted to achieve. His mission was unity of all people at all costs. His reign came at a time when there had been a period of prolonged drought ? called Madlantule. His ideas of peace and unity were much welcomed by many very powerful clans like the Mthethwas, the Ntuli's, the Shezis and many others.
He was a strategist and a military commander par excellence .He altered the nature of fighting and peace-making in this region. Most historical literature regards him as one of the great military geniuses of his age. Modern research has shown that the Kingdom of the Zulu under King Shaka was not a monolithic, highly centralised entity .He ruled by consensus, and allowed many clans to join the kingdom in celebration of unity .He left a framework for Zuluness, which included decisiveness, dignity and respect, loyalty, and humility.
The government of the province of KwaZulu-Natal believes that much can be derived from these values, in their modern forms in order to allow the legacy of King Shaka to live on .We are moving towards an era when our cultural and natural heritage is going to define the provincial agenda for identity, iconicity and local economic development. As we profile our heritage we are continuously learning about its significance in the lives of our people. "His majesty, our King," I am positive that King Shaka's desire to build unity, peace and development will soon be achieved in this province.
I thank you.
Issued by: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
24 September 2006
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