Against the backdrop of Africa Day on Thursday, a motion was tabled by the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal to erect a statue to remember and honour the late Zulu King, King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu in Pietermartizburg.

The motion was tabled by the ANC provincial chairperson and KZN Cogta MEC Siboniso Duma in the provincial legislature and supported by the ruling party.

A statement released by the ANC said the statue will be located in the KZN Legislature and will be higher than the statues of the British monarchs Queen Victoria and Sir Theophilus Shepstone.

The leader of the DA in KZN, Francois Rodgers, said that motion is welcomed as long as the necessary protocols for securing the statue are followed.

“We support the motion as a lot of our history is linked to the late Zulu monarch,” said Rodger.

“We want the royal family and the current King Msizulu KaZwelithini, to be consulted first so that we have everything done correctly. We don’t want there to be another issue with this statue like that of King Shaka, which resulted in wasteful expenditure.”

He added that the motion to erect the statue is welcome, despite the current state of Pietermaritzburg.

“This will represent our history, and we have to get the balance right. Despite the state of Msunduzi municipality, this motion is made by the provincial government, and there must be funds allocated for it. As long as the money of the local government is not used for the statue,” said Rodgers.

Dr Gugu Mazibuko, a cultural expert at the University of KwaZulu-Natal said the statue will be the best tribute to King Zwelithini, who was the longest-reigning monarch.

“It is exciting to know that this will be used to honour the legacy of the late Zulu king, who was the longest-serving monarch.

“He was the first Zulu monarch to participate in the opening of the legislature. He has a long legacy of participating in nation-building projects. I would assume the statue will be made of long-lasting material, like the statue of Queen Victoria,” said Mazibuko.

She added that the erection of the statue is well-deserved for all King Zwelithini’s contributions toward culture and the revenue of the country.

“He helped to resolve issues like taxi violence and unrest situations. He promoted peace and unity. The cultural practices he held contributed to revenue and the tourism industry. So, the statue is welcomed, and we are really happy with the motion, adds Mazibuko.

“King Goodwill was a firm believer in the progressive nature and character of the institution of traditional leadership. On this day, we affirm our commitment to harness this institution to ensure that it contributes immensely to socioeconomic prosperity throughout the corners of this province.

The ANC said “they reiterate the importance of a healthy synergistic relationship between traditional leaders and elected public representatives in order to achieve sustainable service delivery in areas under amakhosi.”

The statement added that the king represented the strongest bond between the people of the province and those on the continent and the diaspora. The erection of the statue would be a progressive move aimed at preserving and promoting the legacy of King Zwelithini.

“We recognise his role as our father. He was a symbol of peace and unity of [among] the people. On Africa Day, we remember his consistent and bold leadership in the fight against HIV and Aids.

“He was a tireless campaigner for the promotion of our culture and heritage. He used the Reed Dance and Umkhosi Wokweshwama to mold young people to be responsible citizens.

“We are grateful as this province that we were blessed with the life of his majesty. His statue will undoubtedly serve as a reminder of what he stood for,” read the statement.

King Zwelithini died in March 2021. His son, Msizulu kaZwelithini, was officially crowned as the new Zulu monarch in October last year.

“As the ANC, we reiterate the importance of a healthy synergistic relationship between traditional leaders and elected public representatives in order to achieve sustainable service delivery in areas under amakhosi.”