“The email sent indicated that it was indeed delivered to one of the personal assistants in the Office of the President. To this day no acknowledgement of the email received from the Office of the Presidency‚” IFP national chairperson Blessed Gwala said.
But it is the reminder of the “Gatsha” book that prompted the IFP to remind the ANC president that Buthelezi is not just a prince‚ he is a member of the Zulu royal family and should be addressed accordingly.
‘Gatsha Buthelezi: The Chief with a Double Agenda’‚ written by ANC academic and researcher Nobleman “Mzala” Nxumalo‚ was removed from circulation 20 years ago after Buthelezi claimed that it defamed him.
“This is why this has upset many of our people… It touches a raw nerve because the ANC instructed their late researcher‚ Mzala Nxumalo‚ to write a defamatory book on the Prince.
“It is still one of the barriers to complete reconciliation between the ANC and the IFP‚ since leaders like Jacob Zuma and Blade Nzimande have gone on TV lauding Nxumalo’s work‚” the IFP said.
Until the Office of the President responded to the IFP’s email - or issues an apology - Gwala said the party would to wonder what reason the president has for continuing to use “that colonial title of chief which to us is the same as k****r over 20 years after our democratic dispensation”.