Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town set the cat among the pigeons yesterday when he applauded President Cyril Ramaphosa’s resolve to push back on state capture.
Makgoba, speaking at the event to hand over the certificate to newly installed AmaZulu king Misuzulu KaZwelithini, said it is high time the government gets its act together and delivers on its promises to the people.
“Mr President, we are grateful for your steadfast focus on rooting out state capture from the public and private sectors, and the faith community pledges its strong support for your latest initiatives.
“But Mr President, no one will be more aware than yourself of how public trust in the government has been corroded by leaders who have elevated the pursuit of private profit above ethical public service in the past decade,” Makgoba said to some murmurs from the crowd.
“Confidence in leaders, whether in the public or private sector, is at a record low. Is it not time for all of us – traditional leaders, political leaders, civil society, religious leaders, leaders in the economy representing both capital and labour – for all of us to come together to convene consultations – culminating in a national indaba – as a way of growing up as a nation and beginning to heal a society characterised by fear and a damaged psyche?” Makgoba asked.
Former president Jacob Zuma, who the state capture commission contends played a key role in the Gupta family’s capture of the state under his presidency, was in attendance as Makgoba spoke.
He sat stone-faced as Makgoba delivered his withering assessment of how corruption almost ate away the soul of the nation.
Zuma, who last week launched a blistering attack on Ramaphosa and the state capture commission’s chairperson, chief justice Raymond Zondo, was seated close to his predecessor Thabo Mbeki.
The two men have come under heavy criticism within the ANC for their recent attack of Ramaphosa’s leadership.
Makgoba also took on South Africans for the spate of xenophobic attacks that sporadically flare up in the country.
“Both nationally and in this province (KwaZulu-Natal), Mr President, can we say that justice and accountability are served when migrants from elsewhere in Africa are scapegoated for just being here?” he asked.
Ramaphosa walked into the large crowd at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium burdened by heavy political pressure.
KZN has never been a happy hunting ground for the head of state, with the province leading a charge against his re-election as the president of the governing party at the upcoming ANC elective conference.
It was expected that his political opponents would use the ceremony to humiliate him, but he was largely welcomed by the crowd.
But insiders told Sunday World that the delegation from the Zulu royal house had met behind the scenes, warning that if hostility was shown to Ramaphosa, it would be a direct attack on the monarch.
Flanked by King MisuZulu and his uncle and eSwatini King Mswati III, he cut a calm and composed figure.
“The booing of the president would have reflected badly for the provincial government. So when intelligence was gathered that the president might receive a hostile reception, a team was assembled to look into the matter. There was a specific directive from the king that he doesn’t want his ceremony to be turned into a political football,” said a royal insider.
He said besides the political groupings, amabutho (regiments) were divided on whether to use the ceremony to show anti-Ramaphosa sentiments.
KZN is considered as the strong base for those calling for Ramaphosa’s head, including Zuma and former minister of health Zweli Mkhize.
Mkhize has been nominated for party president by several branches, while Zuma wants to be national chairperson.
The ceremony itself also saw political friends and foes alike gathered in one place.
Various leaders of political formations such as DA’s parliamentary leader John Steenhuisen, EFF commander in chief Julius Malema and UDM leader
Bantu Holomisa were also among the guests.
During his address, Ramaphosa heaped praises on the Zulu nation, saying over many centuries the nation stood firm against foreign invaders.
“Here in KwaZulu-Natal, on the plains of Isandlwana 143 years ago, AmaZulu waged an epic battle in defence of their land and freedom. It is a history of which the people of this province and the entire continent can be proud of. And today, we are here to witness a new epoch in the history of AmaZulu,” said Ramaphosa.
The crowd erupted with jubilation when Ramaphosa declared MisuZulu as the duly king of AmaZulu.
Earlier, King Mswati had also addressed the crowd and said as his maternal uncle, he was handing over MisuZulu to lead the nation.
The handover of the certificate to King Misuzulu was the last step to legally complete his installation as the leader of the million-strong Zulu nation.
The royal family has for more than a year been beset by factional fights, with different prices jostling for power.
The king said he hoped peace will reign now that all legal obligations have been fulfilled which recognise him as the rightful heir to the throne.
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