That’s why the Italians were able to dump Mussolini in 1943 because the king of Italy fired him as prime minister. No such luck for the Germans, who were stuck with Hitler until the bitter end, because he was head of state, head of government and head of the party.

Secondly, it seems rather obvious that Dalindyebo’s entire motive is to stay out of jail. Same as Zuma’s under similar circumstances. The first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.

Thirdly, the need to buy off the “traditional leaders” was obvious. The traditional leaders, as you should know but evidently don’t, were bought up wholesale by the colonial masters and then handed over to the apartheid state, whom most of them faithfully served. Some of them, like Buthelezi, Matanzima and company, served most brutally and loathesomely. In order not to face a series of tribalist revolts (and to prevent the NP from taking advantage of this in the run-up to the elections and thereafter) the ANC, which had always been doing its best to peel off as many “traditional leaders” as possible, decided to give them a whacking big pay-off.

Mandela, of course, was himself a traditional leader (a real, historical one at that). Mbeki wasn’t, and was a bit cooler towards the actual “traditional leaders”, but a lot of his provincial leaders were more enthusiastic. Zuma, of course, depends very heavily on colonial Zulu myth-making for his appeal (at least in the white community) and so is terribly keen on traditional leaders. Which may discourage them from the fading-away process which I suspect that the ANC (which in the early ’00s was gradually sidelining traditional leadership in favour of elected municipal councillors) originally wanted.

Sounds pretty much like a rewrite of Dickens’ – “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way”

“What happened?”

1994 and beyond happened!

Perhaps this new country will also outlaw some of the ‘ills’ that have beset South Africa under the post 1994 dispensation. LOL.

Bizarre to say the least

Take King Goodwill: he has in fact, one way or another surrendered his sovereign authority to the republican state. But he still has the very real ability to influence the conduct of many folk who consider themselves Zulus. Now you wouldn’t want to place someone like that in a position of poverty and have resentment building up, both in respect of himself and his subjects. Let’s face, the thought of thousands of angry impi’s is enough to make any take a step back. And so, for the sake of political stability the necessary is done. In a way I think may be the right thing too, leaving aside questions of stability. Traditionally the king would have had the right to levy taxes (or tributes) on his subjects. This has been surrendered to the republican state in return for some financial payments.

I wonder whether consititutionally the Traditional Leadership will survive challenge insofar as the removal of a king from office is concerned? Surely, there is a traditional “constitution” in each grouping that determines how the king is identified and selected and removed. How can the republican state simply ride roughshod over those traditional rules, the king’s apparent misdemeanours notwithstanding? It can withhold payment very well but actually remove the king?