Cape Town - Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza paid tribute to the late Queen Regent after her passing.
The National Assembly committee on co-operative governance and traditional affairs also paid its respects to Queen Mantfombi.
Didiza said Queen Mantfombi passed at the time the Royal family was still mourning the passing of King Goodwill Zwelithini.
“On behalf of the Ingonyama Trust Board and the ministry, I offer my sincerest condolences to the Royal Family and the Zulu Nation” said Didiza
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Royal Family who are still mourning the passing of His Majesty the King Goodwill Zwelithini KaBhekuzulu and are now called upon to mourn the passing of the Queen,” she said.
The committee also said it was paying tribute to the Queen Regent saying she died a few weeks after the loss of the King.
It said it was a terrible loss to the family and nation.
On Thursday night, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the traditional prime minister to the Zulu nation and king, said the queen’s death took everyone in the royal court by surprise.
“It is with the deepest shock and distress that the Royal Family announces the unexpected passing of Her Majesty Queen Shiyiwe Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu, Regent of the Zulu Nation. This has taken us by surprise and left us utterly bereft. It is true that the Lord alone knows the days that He has allotted to each one of us.
“On behalf of the Royal Family, I wish to assure the nation that while we are all rightly grief-stricken, there will be no leadership vacuum in the Zulu Nation. Further announcements on Her Majesty’s funeral and the necessary arrangements will be made in due course. May Her Majesty, our Regent, rest in peace,” Buthelezi said in a statement.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
Political Bureau