The late Inkosi Phathisizwe Luthuli's portrait is held aloft during his funeral service on Sunday.
Image: Willem Phungula
AmaZulu king Misuzulu kaZwelithini's spokesperson Prince Thulani Zulu has urged the family of the late inkosi Phathisizwe Luthuli to honour him by managing the succession process smoothly.
Luthuli passed away after collapsing at his uMgababa home on the south coast of Durban on Monday. Delivering the king’s message of condolence at Luthuli’s funeral on Sunday, Zulu urged the family to install the new Inkosi without any dispute.
He said that the royal family would always be available to mediate should the family differ on who must succeed Luthuli.
“As we lay to rest Inkosi Luthuli, His Majesty’s wish is the smooth replacement of the late Inkosi, therefore, the royal family urges the family to ensure that there is smooth transition. Disputes in traditional leadership have become so common that amakhosi are now being protected from their own families,” said Zulu.
Delivering the eulogy, KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi hailed Luthuli for championing education in his area. Buthelezi said Luthuli always heldawards for the schools that did well in matric.
The funeral was also attended by Deputy Cooperative governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Dr Dickson Masemola who spoke on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa, provincial Transport and Human Settlement MEC Siboniso Duma, Deputy Transport Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa, eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba and other senior government officials.
Last year, Luthuli joined growing calls for the removal of undocumented foreign nationals in the area, whom he accused of stifling the economic emancipation of residents in uMgababa.
Luthuli’s traditional authority stretches from uMgababa to the uMkhomazi River mouth.
The Luthuli clan was initially settled in the area currently known as Bluff, close to the Durban harbour. In 1858, they were relocated to uMgababa, on land granted by the British Crown. This move, executed under the traditional leadership of Inkosi Mnini Luthuli, was necessitated by the need to develop and expand the Durban harbour.
willem.phungula@inl.co.za