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Zuma and the king watch bull slaying

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Zuma and the king watch bull slaying

 

 

December 06 2009 at 08:24AM

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By Nathi OlifantKing Goodwill Zwelithini yesterday slammed opponents of the annual umkhosi wokweshwama ceremony, saying it was "despicable" to suggest that Zulus had no respect for animal rights.President Jacob Zuma and the king watched as about 30 warriors caught the raging bull as it ran around the Enyokeni royal palace.Barehanded, the warriors wrestled the bull to the ground and smothered the bellowing creature. It took about 20 minutes for the bull to die. Photographers were forbidden from bringing their cameras into the palace grounds.Buoyed by Friday's triumph in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, the king said umkhosi wokweshwama was a "wonderful" ritual that would not be spoiled by people who "claim to know our culture more than we do".Continues Below ↓

 

"This ritual fulfils what it needs to fulfil. A nation without its customs and beliefs is likely to be lost forever. "This gives us a place among other nations. It informs us of who we are, where we are coming from and where we are going," he said.The king said he would have liked to ignore the court challenge by Animal Rights Africa over the bull killing.He said he was pained by people talking about matters of which they were ignorant."They say we abuse animals, this is talking without sense... We love and appreciate animals. We don't abuse them; we even give them names and that shows how much we love animals," he said."How dare they tell us about our beliefs on how to nourish our nation? What happens here inside the royal palace is the climax of how our families are built. I feel it is time for me to teach about this," he said.The king denied the bull's tongue was pulled out when it was alive. "The bull has teeth. I cannot fathom how you can pull out a bull's tongue without cutting off your hand," he said.Zwelithini said pictures showing this were Photoshopped. The king appealed to his subjects to do the right thing with regard to respecting other people's cultures and beliefs whether "we see something wrong or not".He reinforced warnings about the spread of HIV/Aids saying a man's duty was to behave responsibly. He urged men to protect women and children from the scourge of HIV/Aids.He said in the past warriors built and protected the Zulu nation. He challenged government to employ the same young men in public works programmes. He said community work had always been part of Zulu culture.

 

 

This article was originally published on page 1 of Tribune on December 06, 2009

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