The NFP in KwaZulu-Natal has become the second Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) partner to back the call by AmaZulu king Misuzulu kaZwelithini to rename the province to KwaZulu.

The king called for the dropping of Natal at the 147th commemoration of the Battle of Isandlwana last month, adding that he would embark on a campaign to get Natal removed from the province’s name and that it should be known as KwaZulu (the place of Zulus). 

Speaking at a media briefing in Durban on Wednesday, the NFP Provincial Secretary Zoe Mtshali said her party was in full support of the king’s call for the removal of Natal from the province’s name.

She said it was wrong in the first place to add Natal, as many people in the province still don’t know who Natal was.

“His Majesty is correct in calling for the removal of Natal from the province’s name. Who was Natal in the first place? We can’t be talking about the issue of illegal foreigners in our province and leave issues of names that were imposed on us by illegal foreigners in our land, such as Natal,” said Mtshali.

The king’s call received a backlash, with cultural and political analysts arguing that dropping Natal and elevating one cultural community over others would have negative ramifications for unity and social cohesion. 

However, political parties such as the NFP and the IFP with cultural backgrounds disagreed with the cultural and political analysts’ views. The IFP were the first to support the king’s call for a name change.

The ANC, another GPU partner, has received flak for speaking against the name change proposal. In its recent media briefing, the ANC’s Provincial Coordinator, Mike Mabuakhulu, said that although his party was willing to be engaged on the matter, it does not have a problem with the current name because it was an outcome of the consensus.

The NFP provincial leadership had called the media briefing to announce the programme to celebrate the posthumous birthday of its founder, Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi, who would have turned 64 this month.

Mtshali said the programme will start on Thursday with a prayer and the laying of a wreath at her grave, and the main celebration with the entire membership of the party will take place on Saturday, at a local school hall in Ulundi, north of the province.

Asked whether the Provincial Chairperson, Mbali Shinga, will attend the celebrations, Mtshali said she could not confirm or deny Shinga’s attendance since she has issues with the national leadership, not with the province.

The event is expected to be addressed by the party’s President, Ivan Barnes. 

Magwaza-Msibi was born on February 1, 1992, and passed away on September 6, 2021. She left the IFP and founded her own party in 2011.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za

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