INLSA
King Goodwill Zwelithini (middle), angered by the rampant rape of girls and elderly women, has directed traditional leaders to wage a war on criminals.
Durban – King Goodwill Zwelithini, angered by the rampant rape of girls and elderly women, has directed traditional leaders to wage a war on criminals.
“These ugly criminal acts are no longer isolated incidents, but now constitute a plague. This situation warrants urgent attention as it is reaching epidemic proportions,” Zwelithini said
.
He was addressing the opening of the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders in Ulundi on Wednesday, which was attended by Premier Zweli Mkhize and members of the KwaZulu-Natal cabinet, and members of Parliament.
The opening of the house is organised each year by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta).
Zwelithini praised MEC Nomusa Dube for her “continued efforts at ensuring that my message to my people is spread across all communities” through the department’s awareness campaigns, izimbizo, and other communication platforms.
“I am pleased my sister here (Dube) ensures that the government supports our initiatives at fostering lasting social cohesion among our people.
“We will continue to work together to ensure that we empower amakhosi to carry out their social responsibility mandate of creating peaceful and respectful communities.”
Judicial processes had to be supported through providing information to the police about those known to have committed crimes, King Zwelithini said. “How we should achieve this is by ensuring that we mobilise our people so that they become the ears and eyes of the nation. We all know that most of the time people who commit these acts will be known criminals or drug users.”
Communities needed to ensure they eliminated all forms of antisocial
behaviour.
“But traditional leaders, through their traditional councils and all traditional formations in tribal authorities, should take the lead in this campaign if we are to restore our good image as a province where ubuntu, respect for one another, and dignified behaviour are the cornerstones of our nation,” Zwelithini said.
If rape was allowed to continue unabated, it would tarnish KwaZulu-Natal’s image and drag South Africa’s reputation through the mud, he added.
He also lashed out at people who referred to joblessness as an excuse to commit crime, saying democracy did not mean people could do as they pleased.
“We also call upon the church to work closely with traditional leaders and mount a strong campaign to fight this scourge. This is a disgrace to our society.”
The Mercury
