Zulu king forges ahead with plan to rename KwaZulu-Natal despite backlash

RENAMING KwaZulu-Natal to KwaZulu would be a travesty of cultural justice and an expression of unearned cultural supremacy, says cultural analyst Professor Musa Xulu.

He was reacting to Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s call to rename the KwaZulu-Natal province by removing the 'Natal'.

Speaking during the 147th edition of the Battle of Isandlwana, in Nquthu in the north of the province last Thursday, the king announced that he would start a campaign to drop Natal from the province’s name.

The king’s argument is that prior to the colonisation of the province, the area was known as KwaZulu and fell under the Zulu kingdom. He said the colonisers renamed it Natal. 

However, Xulu disputed the king’s assertion, saying that there was never a time where the entire province was called KwaZulu.

Xulu said the name KwaZulu-Natal has historical significance, that before the region was named KwaZulu-Natal in 1994 there existed a cultural heritage which had been there since 1497 when Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed at Durban harbour and named it Natal. Natal means birth and specifically refers to the birth of Christ. 

Xulu said that at that time, the region was populated by many kingdoms, including the AmaLala.

There was no KwaZulu, as this was later configured by King Shaka more than 300 years later. In 1843 the region became the Colony of Natal, under the British government, following their taking it from the Boers who had called it Natalia. 

Xulu said that in the latter 1800s, Natal was separated from the Zulu Kingdom, which was referred to as KwaZulu, by the uThukela River. Xulu said KwaZulu ceased to exist in 1897 when the territory became part of Natal.

“When the renaming was done in 1994, history showed that until 1897 there were two neighbouring areas which were Natal and KwaZulu. The 1994 provincial renaming was a form of reunion of the two erstwhile neighbours. When King Shaka created the Zulu Kingdom, most kingdoms to the south of uThukela river remained separate from Shaka's Kingdom of the Zulu, but kept good neighbourliness with his new venture,” said Xulu.

He further argued that the current name of KwaZulu-Natal is more representative of the history and heritage of the region compared to Natal or KwaZulu.

Xulu said KwaZulu-Natal is a province of cultural diversities, arguing that it is unclear why a province would be named after one cultural community. 

“The idea should be dropped in the interests of nation building and social cohesion,” argued Xulu.

Political analyst Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast said it would be dangerous and insensitive to elevate one cultural community and make it superior to the others.

However, the king’s spokesperson Prince Thulani Zulu defended the call, saying the king was correct as KwaZulu is the land of Zulus. 

He said the king’s call was in line with the fact that KwaZulu-Natal is the only province with one king.

“Even if we bring democratic aspects to it, the Zulus are the majority and the language spoken is mostly Zulu, so what is wrong in renaming the province KwaZulu,” said Zulu.

Cape Times