same-sex marriages 'will destroy the zulus'

By Sipho Khumalo (Independent Online)

February 27, 2007: The Civil Union Act, which legalised same-sex marriages, marked the end of the Zulu nation and its way of life.

This was the feeling at the opening of a two-day conference of the heads of Zulu warriors and maidens, organised by Local Government and Traditional Affairs MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu, in Durban on Monday.

The conference was largely organised to examine the role of the heads of Zulu warriors (izinduna) and maidens (amaqhikiza) in the moral regeneration of the Zulu nation, and in bringing back the traditional way of life which ensured that young boys and girls were properly brought up to avoid unwanted pregnancies and to curb the spread of HIV/Aids.

Anger at the Civil Unions Act, which was passed by the government in 2006, emerged in a debate titled "Democracy meets Tradition". The session examined how the constitution catered for Zulu tradition and culture.

Several speakers attacked the constitution, saying it had led to a decay in family values, with parents unable to discipline their children and teach them the best and most responsible way of life.

In particular, the constitution was criticised for allowing same-sex marriages, with participants saying that these would destroy the Zulu nation.

"The present constitution is full of demons. We have a crisis on our hands. The nation is heading for total destruction, with men being allowed to marry men and women to marry women.

"We have to fix this constitution to make it representative of (Zulus)," said one participant.

Jabulani Ngubane, a student at a Durban tertiary institution, said gays had "mushroomed" at local campuses.

IFP MP Albert Mncwango, who is also an induna from Nongoma, said South Africa was the only country in Africa and the third in the world to allow same-sex marriages.

"What we are going to have is an influx of gays and lesbians into South Africa, which has become a haven for these people. The next thing you are going to see is the emergence of a gay and lesbian movement in South Africa, which is going to contest elections and win them. Then you are in trouble," he warned.

Sipho Mhlongo, an induna from Mkhazane in Ulundi, said the government should have consulted traditional leaders before passing the Act, and threatened "to sort out" gay couples who married.

Mabuyakhulu tried to reason with the participants, saying the meeting had been called to find out what the people of KwaZulu-Natal could do to restore family values and to effect a moral regeneration.

"The constitution was a product of negotiations by all parties represented in parliament.

"But after every five years, people can form a new government (in the national elections). A new government with the necessary threshold could also change the constitution," he said.

The conference, which continues on Tuesday, seeks to revive and redefine the role of the heads of warriors and maidens as the mentors of future generations.