Zulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini has stated that he would welcome the opportunity to establish bilateral relations with the British royal family, which could help boost the tourism sector in the province.
Speaking through his spokesperson, the king said he had no opposition to such a proposal.
The matter of cultural tourism was recently raised by Finance MEC Francois Rodgers during his visit to the king.
Rodgers had suggested that the Zulu Royal House and the British royals should form bilateral relations aimed at building tourism around the history of these two nations. South Africa is a member of the Commonwealth which has King Charles as its official head.
The proposed tourism partnership would largely centre around the shared history of the two nations in KwaZulu-Natal.
Rodgers had visited the Zulu king to discuss several proposals aimed at making the Zulu Royal House self-sustaining and less reliant on government funding.
The plan to boost cultural tourism has been welcomed by a tourism organisation, who stated that any initiative to enhance cultural tourism was appreciated.
Another plan mooted to boost revenue was to create a farming business venture where the royal family would be shareholders, generating revenue from the initiative.
The king's spokesperson, Prince Simphiwe Zulu, mentioned that while the discussions between the king and the MEC were confidential, the king welcomed the suggestions.
“The king would welcome such engagement and view it in a positive light. He has no problems with forming relations with the British monarchy. We know there is a lot of history between the two nations, and there are certain issues from the past that still need to be addressed. Even after all this time, these matters require attention, but this does not detract from the relationship that could be developed,” he said.
He also expressed optimism about the proposed beef cattle farming venture, stating: “The king is a farmer and would welcome any such activity.”
He noted that while there has been a lot of talk in the past that did not materialise regarding making the Zulu Royal House self-sustaining, they would give Rodgers a chance to see if he can deliver.
Rodgers told The Mercury that he will be meeting with the British High Commissioner in the coming days to broach the subject.
Rodgers emphasised the importance of making the royal household self-reliant.
“I have been pushing for that since before I was the MEC, and now that I am in government, I can take the matter much further.”
“I recently visited His Majesty and we spoke about the issue. One of the reasons I wanted to meet with the king was to find out whether there are existing bilateral relations between the Zulu nation and the British monarch.”
He noted that such an arrangement presents immense tourism opportunities.
“There is a lot of history between these two nations; not all of it is good, but there is a lot of potential to create a significant tourism industry around these two nations, attract visitors to the battle sites, and develop opportunities for the local community.”
He added that people could visit key historical sites that reflect the history of these two nations.
“The British monarchy generates a lot of revenue from selling artefacts, and that is something we could also do here—selling Zulu artefacts. Tourists love such items,” said the MEC.
Explaining the farming venture, he said it would involve a beef trading business with feed-lots and an abattoir, allowing small-scale farmers to bring their cattle for processing, with the meat then exported to other countries.
“Botswana is already doing something of this nature, and it has been very successful. We have done extensive research on this matter and hope to make a presentation to His Majesty by early next year. This is a business that could be very lucrative. We would bring in professionals to run it, and the royal family would be shareholders in the business. The revenue generated would mean that we would be taking less and less funding from the provincial fiscus for the royal house going forward,” he said.
Brett Tungay, Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) East Coast chairperson, said that cultural tourism exists but it had taken a significant hit due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Cultural tourism already exists in KwaZulu-Natal; it’s not a huge industry. The slightly larger ones are related to the battlefields, the Boer War, and the Zulu battlefield, which have all seen a decline post-Covid. Hopefully, we will see initiatives coming back into place to push that tourism again, which would be very positive for the province. We are a proper melting pot of culture in KZN, and that needs to be celebrated and showcased to the world.”
THE MERCURY