Criticisms of the Buthelezian Zulu state
A man called Cassius Lubisi wrote: "Talk of Zulu secession is reckless, not only for all the people of South Africa, but also for the IsiZulu-speaking people themselves. As already noted, the Zulu kingdom was created through the forcible subjugation of a number of independent chiefdoms. What stops the Ndwandwe, the Mthethwa, Qwabe, Ngcobo, Mkhize, Hlubi and others from seceding from the Zulu?
In terms of legitimacy, territory and continuity, the Buthelezian KwaZulu is not the Zulu Kingdom, it is largely based on a colonially created Native Reserve.
Buthelezi is (or was) well aware of this. However, he now finds it useful to mislead people who are not well informed about South African history."
Read the full article by Mr. Cassius Lubisi here.
I. Y. I. L. E. has already addressed the "Native Reserve" problem & demarcated precolonial Zulu territories in various maps but the problem of the various nations under the Zulu Empire seceding is a recent problem because the Hlubi & Mthethwa were vital in forming the Zulu Empire & while many nations were subjugated through war or surrendered, I'm of the opinion that this was just how the politics of this land worked in the early 1800s. And this is how I think the British believed that they, as outsiders, could annex the Zulu Kingdom into their British Empire. The problem is that under Zulu Law when a tribe was conquered, it was given more-or-less an equal role in the governance of the land. Not constant humiliation & discrimination that the British bestowed upon the ashes of the Zulu Kingdom. No Zulu Law was written but it was common knowledge among the people of the land & again, I'm of the opinion that the British broke Zulu Law on several occasions which is why the resistance & retaliation towards European colonialism continued until the 1940s & perhaps continues a bit today.
Antiquity
The origin of the many tribes of the Zulu state is from a very exclusive set of Mbo nations who originated from various parts of Africa. On the coat of arms of Eswatini (arguably the last sovereign Mbo nation) reads "Siyinqaba" - "We are a fortress". This itself echoes the history of the Nguni/Mbo tribes of southeast Africa. An isolated group of nations who - over time - became quite insular. Not that these Mbo nations were against a cosmopolitan world but they were mostly an anti-colonial "fortress" compared to the Sotho & Tswana. The defiance towards European colonialism of the Zulu area is rivalled only by Ethiopia under King Menelik on the African continent. I'd even argue that no African region has faced & defeated as many European forces as the Zulu region. From the Portuguese, to the Dutch, to the British & Napoleon's grandson himself (who died in a battle against the Zulu); this is one land that simply refused colonialism. In comparison, Ethiopia only had the Italians to deal with. Simply put, the Nguni tribes of southeast Africa have always been a fiercely independent "fortress". This history may seem missplaced here but I must emphasize it to legitimise the inclusive nature of Buthelezian Zulu nationalism by exposing that the Ndwandwe, the Mthethwa, Qwabe, Ngcobo, Mkhize, Hlubi, Dlamini, Zizi & Zulu clan themselves come from the same Mbo origin.
An exceptional man
I believe that Buthelezi being the chief (Inkosi) of the Buthelezi clan as well as a Zulu Prince & chosen Prime Minister of a Zulu monarch gave him all right to be a very authoritative public figure the likes of Mnangagwa & Milton Obote but he remained a humourous man until his elder years. How much of this was because of being - somewhat - in favour of the Boer nationalist government, we'll never know. But a man with the titles & honours of Buthelezi's would very likely have been a very authoritative figure in precolonial Africa, that is the stereotype. The fact that Buthelezi honoured his role as Zulu Chief Minister with such a calm, firm & uncorrupt hand gained him favour with people from clans who were traditionally exiled from the Zulu Kingdom. Morally, this is the way to peace & unity - making less enemies ensures success in a land more often than not. In my opinion, a fragmented empire of autonomous tribes is worse than a united group of people even if they are under the wrong label. To me, it is better for the many clans united by Emperor Shaka to simply be called Zulu than many secretive clans which most laymen are unaware of their existence. So, the Buthelezian Zulu state to me is not an ill thought-out concept. Inclusivity may not be a Zulu thing but a successful state involves some inclusivity to work. The Zulu region spoke many dialects but all the tribes were given relative self-governance provided they "paid tribute" (a.k.a. "ukukhonza") to the Emperor/Isilo. If they decided to no longer "khonza", they risk being attacked & brought back to order by Isilo. When the whole Zulu region has adopted the Ntungwa dialect in modern life, it makes it even easier to maintain unity & harder to distinguish between clans by dialect.
Advocating for the Buthelezian Zulu state
Many may assume that "Buthelezian" means tribalist Zulu nationalism but I don't think it's that simple to box. Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi being a political activist, law professional & aware of the geopolitics of southern Africa wasn't just a mere "tribalist", by his own words he mentioned how many lands worldwide govern themselves in federal governments. Why was he isolated as a tribalist when the likes of Orania are allowed to exist within South Africa? What are Lesotho, Eswatini & Botswana if not "tribalist" nation-states? I believe what Buthelezi wanted was a federal Zulu Kingdom; perhaps something like Orania. The USA is a federation of self-governing "states", yet that is not considered a sort of isolationism or tribalism. Even though Buthelezi succumbed to the diversity of South Africa, he remained Zulu Prime Minister which is a "tribalist" position to hold itself. Many have not made the distinction of Zulu & South African but I believe there is a historical distinction. Whether this distinction should be acted upon is up to the people of Zulu territory themselves. When all is said, Zulu history today would be incomplete without the mention of the Buthelezian ideology of Zulu nationalism.
Kwonke loku kuyatolikeka ngesiZulu kwinkinobho ephezulu ebhalwe u-Translate.
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