Celani Sikhakhane brings you KwaZulu-Natal’s latest news.
eMashobeni Royal Palace: The Mashobeni Royal Palace of the Zulu King in Pongola, north of KwaZulu-Natal, is full of activities as His Majesty prepares his delegation of senior royals to head to Mpumalanga Province on Saturday to pay lobola for the Mawewe Kingdom for Queen Sihle kaMdluli. According to the royal court, the delegation is leaving on Saturday to send cows and other gifts to the Mawewe Kingdom in Nkomazi District. This comes after His Majesty sent a royal delegation led by his senior advisor and praise singer, Inyosi Buzetsheni Mdletshe, to hold lobola negotiations with the Mawewe Royal family. Queen Mawewe, as she is royally known, is the fourth wife of the King but in Siswati she is still referred to as Liphovela, meaning the King’s fiancee. After those negotiations, kaMdluli was officially introduced to the royal family and the nation as the Queen of eMashobeni Royal Palace. It was announced last year during the Reed Dance that she was attending for the very last time as a maiden as she was ascending to the Queen stage as the wife of the Zulu King. Her Royal Highness hails from the Mkhatshwa Royal family under Mawewe Traditional Council. Her mother is a fully recognised traditional leader of the Mawewe Kingdom.
Pietermaritzburg: The ANC at the KZN legislature in Pietermaritzburg has replaced the late Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba who died after he was hit by a bakkie while jogging along the road in Newcastle. On Friday, Zinhle Cele, who is the former leader of the ANC Youth League in eThekwini Region, was sworn in by the KZN Legislature Speaker Nontembeko Boyce. Cele is making a comeback after a revised parliamentary list of the ANC was revised to accommodate her as the next in line to the legislature. The ANC Caucus in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature has warmly welcomed her deployment to once again serve as a Member of the Provincial Legislature. She currently serves in both the ANC KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Task Team and Provincial Working Committee. “We warmly welcome Comrade Zinhle Cele back to the Legislature and look forward to her contribution as we strengthen oversight, accountability and our collective commitment to improving the lives of the people of KwaZulu-Natal,” the ANC said.
KZN Legislature: The Democratic Alliance has come out in support of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Public Works and Infrastructure budget. The party says that it is an investment that genuinely improves the lives of the province’s people. The DA’s reaction follows Minister Martin Meyer’s budget vote at the KZN Legislature on Friday where he announced drastic measures that have been taken by his department to save money and improve service delivery. “This budget demonstrates that when parties work together through KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity, it is possible to move beyond politics and focus on delivery. That is exactly what KZN’s people expect,” the DA said. The DA also said that it welcomes the department’s commitment to building a capable, ethical and developmental state through improved procurement, reducing vacancies, empowering women, youth, persons with disabilities and strengthening accountability.
Pictured above: The Zulu King is sending a royal delegation this weekend to pay lobola to the royal family of Queen Sihle kaMdluli in Mpumalanga Province.
Image source: Zulu Royal Kingdom
