Buthelezi says he was merely relaying information about king's health

King Misuzulu kaZwelithini's prime minister, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, on Tuesday maintained he was executing his duties when he told the country the king had been admitted to hospital in Eswatini.

Buthelezi attributed the information to Prince Vumile, the brother of King Mswati III of Eswatini. 

He said it should be noted that his statement was simply repeating distressing information he had received.

“I narrated it as such. Nowhere did I suggest [the king] was critically ill. Those who suggest that I communicated this clearly didn’t read my statement,” he said.

This comes after Misuzulu issued his own statement, claiming he was perfectly fine.

Buthelezi said since the announcement, Prince Africa Zulu, head of communication and stakeholder relations in the king's office, had issued a rather disjointed counterstatement and a video.

“While I do not wish to dwell on the theatrics of it all, I find this behaviour unbecoming.”

He said the condescending interjections by Prince Africa in the recorded video while the king was speaking, even going as far as completing sentences for him, “speaks to a complete disregard for the king and for the decorum and dignity expected of an individual representing the king and his office”.

“This is the same individual who once sent my son and me a four-letter swear word, via WhatsApp, which tells us how he views senior members of the royal family.

“It goes without saying that the subject of His Majesty’s health is always a sensitive matter,” he said.

Buthelezi said he wanted to set the record straight in light of the media and public spectacle that transpired since his announcement, and the fact that he had been accused of harbouring an agenda and having orchestrated bad news.

He said the king had received medical attention at eZulwini Private Hospital on Saturday and the doctors who attended to him “are known”.

Buthelezi said what Prince Africa was not telling the nation was that he approached the Swazis — in particular, Prince Vumile — asking them to help so the king could leave KwaZulu-Natal at night, to urgently seek medical attention in Eswatini. 

“The assertion by Prince Africa that [the king] is in Eswatini to visit his uncle, King Mswati III, is a blatant lie.”

Buthelezi said Mswati was not in Eswatini when the Zulu king arrived, nor had he returned.

He said it was of serious concern that the king's latest trip to Eswatini did not conform to established protocols, such as informing the royal family, the premier of the province or the head of state that he would be out of the country. 

Buthelezi also took a swipe at Sibongile Mdletshe.

He rejected “the lie that has been peddled by Sibongile Mdletshe, who is the liaison between [the king's office and the premier’s office], that I was consulted regarding [the king's] travel and that I had approved it. I did not. Nor was I consulted.”

Buthelezi clarified the constant speculation that there is a rift between him and Misuzulu and that he acted in malice by making the announcement about Misuzulu's health. 

“Like any other family, there will be disagreements on matters from time to time. That is normal. But there is certainly no growing rift between myself and His Majesty,” he said.

“As a nation, our king’s health and wellbeing should always be our main concern. I communicated the news about [the king] having taken ill without embellishment or ill will. This is also not without precedent.”

He asked why a political party now sought to mediate a non-existing feud, when “the royal family can resolve its own internal matters, if such matters arise.

“And why do matters of the Ingonyama Trust arise now?” he asked. “Such conflation of issues is rather malicious.”

Buthelezi added that he had been at pains throughout his career to separate politics from traditional matters and it was painful to see politics at play now. He said he wasn’t a spin doctor or spokesperson for anybody and therefore not in competition with those “who want to elevate themselves by their association with His Majesty.

“On the other hand, I will continue to keep the AmaZulu nation informed, if and when necessary, on matters that affect our nation.”

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