African Heritage Challenges by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789811543661
Publisher: Springer Singapore

The IFP, the ANC, and the ‘Heritage Pawn’

Amafa and the political system of the province cannot be separated. When the KwaZulu Monuments Council and the National Monuments Council amalgamated, the strongest of the two (the KwaZulu Monuments Council), ‘emerged victorious’—it dominated the new authority that was formed in 1997. At that time, the province was still under the leadership of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), a party that had historically been closely aligned to Amafa. IFP is a South African political party with roots in the KwaZulu homeland. Its political foundations were closely aligned with Zulu identity politics. As a result, the party has been dominant in the former KwaZulu homeland and the KwaZulu-Natal province post-1994. Considering that the KwaZulu Monuments Council worked closely with the KwaZulu government, the strong links between Amafa and the IFP are thus not surprising. In the early 2000s, Amafa was engaged in discussions to move the institution from the then Department of Education and Culture to the Office of the Premier. These discussions were, in my view, informed by the alignment between Amafa and the IFP. This would have enabled the organization to report to the highest office of the party in the province. It is noteworthy that the Amafa Council was dominated for many years by a leadership which supported the IFP. Interestingly, the former (and longest-serving) leader of the IFP, Inkosi uMangosuthu Buthelezi, is a son of a Zulu Princess, Princess Magogo. The Prince has been well known for his support of the Zulu heritage since the time when he was the Prime Minister for the KwaZulu homeland, during which the KwaZulu Monuments Council was established. It is clear, therefore, that the IFP was instrumental in shaping the then KwaZulu Monuments Council and later, the activities of Amafa.

Besides IFP members dominating the Amafa Council, other links which had a significant role in the history of the organization can be identified. Prince Buthelezi served for many years as the Chair of the Traditional Leaders in the province. While South Africa has democratically elected government representatives since 1994, the role of Traditional Leaders is still prominent within the sphere of governance. Furthermore, the late Prince Gideon Zulu, one of the former provincial government Ministers, and also previously a senior member of IFP, was once in charge of the Department of Welfare and Pensions (1994–2004). On one occasion, Amafa wrote to both these IFP leaders in their various capacities regarding their challenges around the relocation of the affected eMakhosini Valley community. While Prince Buthelezi may have been approached because of his position in the traditional leadership of the province, I fail to understand why Prince Gideon Zulu would have been consulted in his government capacity considering the nature of the department he was heading at the time, and it seems most likely that Amafa hoped to have access to the influence he commanded in the traditional leadership of the province, as a member of the Royal family. It is thus clear that Amafa had the

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