By Gil Lavie
King Goodwill Zwelithini, leader of the Zulu nation in South Africa, marked Israeli Independence day along with his wife Queen Thandi at a Yom Ha’atzma’ut ceremony held on Thursday at the Israeli embassy in Pretoria.
The King, 64, is the ceremonial leader of the country’s Zulu population, SA’s largest black ethnic group.
Along with the King, other important dignitaries attended including the Rev. Bishop Dr. B.E. Lekganyane, Head of the Zionist Christian Church, Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, MP and President of the African Christian Democratic Party, and Ambassador C.T. Rubushe, Chief Director of Middle East at the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
The event was attended by 400 guests, including Christian Zionists and members of the Jewish community. In addition to an Israeli themed lunch, local South African bands entertained the crowd with lively music. The Israeli national anthem was performed by Udi Cohen, and played by the Zimriya youth band.
In a welcoming speech delivered by Ambassador Dov Segev-Steinberg, he expressed gratitude for such an outstanding event filled with such high calibre guests. In his speech, he spoke of the “incredible strides” that Israel has made in industries such as “technology, medicine, science, education, agriculture and more”, and Israel’s want and willingness to share her knowledge and capabilities with others. Regarding the peace process with the Palestinians, he expressed a desire to build bridges towards a meaningful dialogue in order to find an outcome based on the principle of a two states solution.
With his term ending later this year, the Ambassador ended his speech on a personal note, summarizing his past five years in South Africa, remembering it as one of his most interesting and enjoyable posts; “This has been my experience in South Africa which will always have a special place in my heart.”
In a speech delivered by the Zulu King, he praised the ability of the Jewish people to always rise above challenges, categorizing Israel’s history as one filled with paradox and tragedy, but ultimately triumph. He also expressed a desire to further cooperation with Israel in the arena of agriculture and to promote youth exchanges between the two countries.
Conveying a message from the South African Government, Ambassador C.T. Rubushe, reflected the long going contributions of the Jewish community in South Africa. “Many contributed significantly to South Africa’s development…Many [Jews]…took part in the anti-apartheid and liberation struggle…”.
Regarding bilateral relations, Ambassador Rubushe praised “the incredible contributions that Israel has made to South Africa,” saying “These valuable projects… are much needed and also complementary to the objectives of our own National Development Program.”
In a phone interview regarding the event, Israeli Ambassador Dov Segev-Steinberg praised the function as successful and said it shows the extent of friendship that Israel enjoys in South Africa. “The event shows that there are many friends here that support Israel and they came to show their support from different stratus of society” he said. He continued by expressing good will and continued cooperation between the two countries.
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Preceding provided by Tazpit News Agency