banner

 

 

Address by Nelson Mandela at the funeral of Prince Cyril Mfunafuthi Zulu

14 November 1999

Bayete! Wena wendlovu!
Bantwana basendlinkulu, Nina besilo!
Nonke enizohlonipha umntwana osefishiyile!

It fills me with great sadness that once more we have come together to mourn.

At a time when our people can at last reap the fruits of hard-won peace, we are brought together by the cruel murder of a leader who fought for our freedom and was a tireless champion of peace.

We come to share the sorrow of Prince Vincent and the whole kwaDeda royal family.

Prince Cyril Mfanafuthi Zulu was a worthy son of royalty whose dedication to our liberation goes back many generations.

The leadership of Kwa-Zulu Natal have shown immense courage in reaching out to one another to entrench peace.

With patience and determination they brought us to the point where we could put behind us the bloody carnage that has taken 15 000 lives since 1984.

Most of those lives were lost after 1990, as sinister and ruthless forces opposed to change fomented divisions and violence in a desperate effort to turn back the tide of change.

The leaders of the ANC and IFP, amakhosi and His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini have left no stone unturned to ensure that all our people could work together to wipe out poverty.

They have called upon people to join hands and work together to deliver those who committed these crimes against society.

And yet today we are gathered to mourn a prince of peace, one who would not let threats and violence turn him from his mission.

Following our second democratic elections KwaZulu Natal is governed, for the first time, by a coalition of the IFP and ANC.

There could be no firmer sign than this that the people of the province and its political leaders are committed to peace.

We may ask ourselves why it is, when things are going so well and our people are so united, that this act of political violence casts its shadow once more!

We may even wonder if it is coincidence that this barbaric thing has happened as the leaders of more than 50 nations converged to meet in Durban, as guests of our democratic nation that is renowned throughout the world for its success in resolving conflict through negotiation!

Those who are opposed to change thrive in a climate of violence, whether it appears as political or the work of taxi organisations or criminal gangs.

The spilling of blood creates a climate that undermines the peace process.

We should not forget the role that the third force has played. Although they are no longer powerful, they still exist.

Their hand is strengthened by undisciplined elements in our political parties who do not take the peacekeeping efforts of their leaders seriously; and who themselves prosper in a climate of fear and intolerance.

I would therefore like to make an appeal today.

It is an appeal inspired by the example of Prince Cyril, who put the good of his people before all else, even his life.

There are good men and women in both the IFP and the ANC, and amongst the amakhosi, who are working together to establish peace within the province.

They recognise their duty to work with the security forces to try to bring the faceless killers to book.

They have been co-operating to root out those who support the third force and the creation of a climate of violence, whether they claim membership of the ANC or IFP.

My appeal today is to those good men and women in both organisations.

I appeal to them to continue their good work of promoting peace amongst the people.

I would urge them to ensure that there is no-one in their organisations who has not heard their message of peace.

I call also on the members of all political parties to heed the call of their leaders to act and to organise in a spirit of tolerance.

In particular our youth, as tomorrow's leaders, have a special role to play in helping to create the conditions in which our people can sleep peacefully at night; in which our workers can travel without fear; and in which our children can go to school in safety.

Generations of our people have yearned and struggled for freedom.

Let us protect our democracy by entrenching peace!

Let us honour the memory of Prince Cyril Mfanafuthi Zulu of KwaDeda!

I thank you.

Source: Nelson Mandela Foundation

Facebook