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Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu (born 27 July 1948 at Nongoma) is the reigning King of the Zulu nation under the Traditional Leadership clause of South Africa's republican constitution. He became king on the death of his father, King Cyprian Bhekuzulu kaSolomon, in 1968. Prince Israel Mcwayizeni kaSolomon acted as the regent from 1968 to 1971 while the King took refuge in St. Helena for three years to avoid assassination. After his 21st birthday and his first marriage, Zwelithini was installed as the eighth monarch of the Zulus at a traditional ceremony at Nongoma on 3 December 1971, attended by 20,000 people. ==Political role== In the power vacuum created in the 1990s as Apartheid and the domination of the country by White South Africans was abolished, the King was sometimes unable to avoid being drawn into partisan politics. The Zulu-dominated Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) initially opposed parts of the new constitution advocated by the African National Congress (ANC) regarding the internal governance of KwaZulu. In particular, the IFP campaigned aggressively for an autonomous and sovereign Zulu king, as constitutional head of state. As a result, the IFP abstained from registering its party for the 1994 election (a necessity in order to receive votes) in opposition. However, once it became obvious that its efforts were not going to stop the election (the IFP's desired goal), the party was registered. It demonstrated its political strength by taking the majority of the provincial votes for KwaZulu-Natal. Although the constitution makes the role of the King largely ceremonial, and it is incumbent upon him to act on the official advice of the provincial premier, on occasion South African President Nelson Mandela made efforts to bypass the IFP in negotiating with the Zulus, instead making direct overtures to the King (Mandela's daughter, Zeni, is married to Prince Thumbumuzi Dlamini, a brother of Zwelithini's "Great Wife", Queen Mantfombi). Nonetheless, the IFP remained in power in the province until 2003. During most of the King's reign his cousin ("uncle" in Zulu kinship reckoning), Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Prince of KwaPhindangene and founder/head of IFP, was the Zulu prime minister. But in September 1994 tension between the previously allied kinsmen peaked publicly as the annual Shaka Zulu celebration approached. Rumors that the King was maneuvering to replace Buthelezi as Zulu prime minister with former regent Prince Mcwayizeni, who had joined the ANC in 1990, seemed likely after the King announced that Buthelezi would no longer be his chief advisor, and simultaneously cancelled the holiday ceremony.〔 For his safety, federal troops escorted Zwelithini by helicopter to Johannesburg. Although Buthelezi was then serving as Home Affairs minister in South Africa's Cabinet, President Mandela's efforts to broker a reconciliation failed. Buthelezi moved the event from Nongoma to Stanger, and addressed a throng of 10,000 of his Zulu supporters. Subsequently, the King's spokesman, Prince Sifiso Zulu, was being interviewed on television at the South African Broadcasting Corporation's studio when Buthelezi and his bodyguards forcibly interrupted the programme, physically intimidating Chief Sifiso. The televised incident drew national attention and a public rebuke from Mandela, prompting Buthelezi to apologize to the Zulu Royal Family, Cabinet and nation for his behavior.〔 Relations between Zwelithini and Buthelezi later improved. King Zwelithini has cooperated as the law requires with the ANC since it took over the reins of government in KwaZulu-Natal. The King's finances are controlled by KwaZulu-Natal provincial authorities. In 1989 he criticized the ANC leadership for not inviting him and Buthelezi to a rally welcoming back the Rivonia Trial defendants, who had been released after almost three decades of imprisonment. As the constitutional monarch of the kingdom of KwaZulu-Natal, he is head of the ''Ubukhosi'', the state-recognized institution of Traditional Leadership that consists of local chiefs. His leadership role also entails chairmanship of the Usuthu Tribal Authority and Nongoma Regional Authority, both established under the provisions of the KwaZulu Amakhosi and Iziphakanyiswa Act. In his address upon the opening of the Provincial Parliament on September 28, 2003, the King advised the government and legislators to give more heed to the ''Ubukhosi'': Traditional Leaders are neither consulted nor involved in the process of formulating policies that have a direct bearing on their day to day activities. The institution of ''Ubukhosi'' has been in existence from time immemorial and has survived many hardships under past colonial regimes. From the point of view of the ordinary citizen, an Inkosi's most important role may lie in his symbolizing of community solidarity. So any notion that the institution of ''Ubukhosi'', now that we have a democratic government in place, can just be wished away, remains a pipe-dream. Some countries just across our borders had decided to do away with the institution of traditional leadership immediately after attaining independence from colonial rulers. However, they have since realised that they had committed gross mistakes and were now re-inventing these institutions at great costs. As King of the Zulu Nation I am proud of the role played by the Prime Minister of the Zulu Nation, Prince of KwaPhindangene, Dr MG Buthelezi who had singlehandedly championed the cause of the Institution of Traditional Leadership in this country. Zwelithini has been criticised for buying luxury Mercedes Benz motor cars and other expensive vehicles for his wives when a large percentage of the population in Kwa-Zulu Natal is living in poverty. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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