Farewell to the monarch who swam against the tide

It is with a deep sense of loss and sadness that I mourn the passing of his majesty, King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu. My condolences go out to his wives and children and the whole Zulu nation.

Zwelithini was the eighth Zulu monarch, and could trace his ancestry directly to King Mpande, the half-brother of King Shaka.

As a Jew and a Zionist, I appreciate the principled stand that the king took in swimming against the tide in government circles of unrestrained animosity towards Israel. I met him in 2012 at a celebration of Israel’s independence at the Israeli embassy. I was immensely impressed by his stately yet humble demeanour.

Later that year, when the South African government through the deputy foreign minister said that it was improper for any official to associate with Israel, the king promised to “intensify bilateral co-operation” with Israel, accepting an invitation from Israeli Ambassador Dov Segev-Steinberg to visit Israel.

On a previous trip to Israel, the king became aware of the incredible opportunities that co-operation with Israel could offer his people, particularly in the “fields of health, agriculture, and education”.

In 2018, the king once again emphasised the importance of maintaining diplomatic relations with Israel in response to ongoing calls by the boycott movement and the ruling African National Congress to cut off diplomatic relations and recall ambassadors. The king went on to extoll the potential benefits co-operation with Israel offered in the fields of water security through desalination, food sustainability, and health.

“For South Africa to prosper, we firmly believe that it must take a stand in support of Israel, not against it. Today, unfortunately, there are other voices within our society that are demanding the opposite,” he said.

I hope that the king’s legacy of reaching out to Israel for the betterment of his people will continue, and will inspire policy makers to act in the interests of amity rather than of boycott.