31 January 2009
The family of the Zondi Royal House,
Premier of the Province, Sibusiso Ndebele,
Traditional leaders,
Leaders of the ANC and other political parties present,
Mayors and councillors,
Isizwe sakwaZondi,
Fellow South Africans,
It is with sadness that we meet here today to bid farewell to one of the most outstanding and progresive traditional leaders, Inkosi Mbongeleni Zondi. It was shocking to hear about this vicious murder and the manner that it was executed to one so young, whose life was taken at its prime. Our hopes were high for what he still had to achieve.
This brutal murder of Inkosi Zondi will remain an unforgettable and sore wound to many who knew and loved him, especially his family, relatives like myself as well as members of the Zondi clan.
It is a bitter irony that Nondaba, being a former top detective in the Murder and Robbery unit would lose his own life in this manner. We appeal for calm and restraint. Let the law enforcement agencies deal with the investigations and track down the killers, and bring them before the law.
I am saying this because this area of uMsinga has known violence and is known countrywide as an area where wars of retaliation and revenge have been fought. We applaud our people in this area for the peace and calm that has prevailed so far. Our people put peace first, and believe in the law enforcement agencies.
This is what Nondaba would have advised us to do. He was opposed to faction fights and violence as a way of resolving disputes and worked very hard to stop them. He preached peace in his lifetime not because he was a coward, but because in peace he saw the future. He was not a coward! In fact he was a warrior and a hero among his people. In him the people saw the reincarnation of the legendary Bhambatha ka Mancinza Zondi, his great grandfather, who in 1906 led the great Bambatha War, against the introduction of poll tax to Africans, and the subjugation of the African people in general.
Inkosi Bambatha fought against imperialism and colonialism in one of the last wars of resistance in our country, and paid a supreme sacrifice for his actions. He preferred to fight on behalf of his people rather than to serve as a chief in bondage and oppression.
By so doing he inspired many generations of progressive amakhosi and political leaders of many generations, to be on the side of freedom. Inkosi Mbongeleni Zondi was in all respects following in the footsteps of his great grandfather.
He also understood the service element of being an inkosi, and his reign was rooted in the principle that: “Inkosi, Inkosi Ngabantu!” That was his badge of honour, which he never betrayed, and that is where his deep respect for his people came from. In the short space of time, since his ascension to the throne of the Zondi people he had managed to stop the faction fighting that his community has always been associated with, by bringing about peace and stability. Inkosi Mbongeleni Zondi was also a great advocate of development and progress in his area.
He was also a warrior in the field of new ideas meant to advance his people and take them away from underdevelopment and ignorance. Since he came into power there was visible progress and development in many areas. We had begun to see a community that was progressing at the level of tourism, economic development and job creation opportunities.
He managed to market uMsinga as a tourist attraction, using the great name of Inkosi Bhambatha. This contributed positively towards developing the Local Economic Development initiatives. We also saw the general development of the area through the building of roads infrastructure, bringing about electricity, water and sanitation thus changing the lives of his people for the better.
He had a great love for his people and worked tirelessly for their development. This was evident in initiatives like the building of the Multi-Purpose Community Centre in eNgome, which is to be named after him.
To understand this brutal killing of Inkosi Mbongeleni Zondi, we also need to understand the person he was during his life. We must put his life in its proper political context. We know that he was a dedicated and committed Inkosi who was interested in the advancement of his community. He put the lives of his people first before his own material interests.
We know that he was a courageous leader of his people. We know that he was a leader in the realm of ideas and practice, by the fact that he introduced new ideas in his community.
We know that he was a proud member of his community, and a proud member of the African National Congress (ANC), an organisation that he served with loyalty and pride, without excluding other political parties from operating in his area.
He understood that being an Inkosi meant that he had to work with all people regardless of their political affiliation.
Inkosi Mbongeleni Zondi understood the importance of consultation and engaging in democratic practices, he put emphasis on reaching decisions by consensus by involving different stakeholders in his community. In short, he was a democrat. He was a traditional leader that was steeped in democratic ethos. Whoever was responsible for taking his life had an agenda to derail this peace and stability project that was beginning to prosper in the Greater uMsinga area.
This act of aggression does not fit with the pattern of general crime. Those who were responsible must be the enemies of democracy, peace, progress and development. Those who are responsible for this action want to take our country back, to a period and a chapter in our history that we thought we had left behind and closed.
Those who brutally murdered Inkosi Nondaba thought they were killing the idea of freedom, peace and prosperity. They may have sought to instil fear and terror in the hearts of the people. Our message to them is very clear: No amount of bullets can stop the march to peace, security, freedom and prosperity.
Freedom lives and reigns in the hearts of every child born out of our country! Freedom lives and reigns in the hearts and minds of peace loving and patriotic people of our country!
We will continue with the good work that Inkosi Mbongeleni Zondi started in this district, and for the good of the whole country. We will continue with the development of rural areas. We will continue with the process of land redistribution and implementing agrarian reforms.
We will continue to respect the institutions of traditional leadership and ensure that stronger links are created between traditional and democratic institutions.
To the Nondaba family, relatives, friends and isizwe sonke, Akwehlanga Lungehlanga! Nina Bakwa-Mancinza! Bakwa-Nondaba!
Long Live The Spirit of Inkosi Mbongeleni Zondi Long Live! Long Live The Spirit of Bhambatha Ka Mancinza Long Live! Amandla!!
Issued by: African National Congress
Enquiries: Brian Sokutu 071 671 6919