Ndebele King, Bulelani Khumalo, has emphasised the importance of cultural revival while calling on political figures to respect and support the traditional efforts currently underway across Matabeleland and beyond.
In an exclusive interview, King Bulelani expressed concern over the misunderstandings that often arise between cultural custodians and political figures.
“It’s our wish that politicians must remain calm when we are reviving culture, we are not doing politics,” he said.
“This is because at times we feel they come close that’s where we cross each other, yet no, we are just doing our culture.”
The king, who has been at the forefront of cultural restoration efforts in the region, explained the wide-reaching mobilisation programs currently being implemented.
These programmes target various groups including teenage girls, young boys, and warriors, with the aim of nurturing cultural identity and values from a young age.
“We are doing a mobilisation program where we mobilise warriors, teenage girls and young boys aimed at reviving our culture through catching them young,” he explained.
“The most vibrant places through this programme are Insuza, Tsholotsho, Binga, Chiredzi , and Plumtree, which is really doing well, but we don’t have warriors yet.
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“We are working on it.”
The king stressed the urgency of instilling cultural values in the youth while elders still have the opportunity to pass them on.
“We are catching them young because we don’t want this to die with us,” he said.
“We are now old and we want to plant it for the younger generation to practice and share it to the other generation when we are gone.”
Beyond the cultural revival, the initiative also seeks to identify and support talents among the youth especially in arts, academics, and sports.
“In that way, we will also see the talents these children have and when we get funding, we see how we can help them through sponsorship and achieve their dream,” King Bulelani added.
However, he voiced deep concern over the performance of schools in the region, highlighting low academic results and the diminishing presence of local youth in national sporting arenas.
“We are not happy with the performance in our schools; we are not happy about the pass rates,” he said.
“Not only in academics, we are not happy also with their achievements in sports.
“We don’t see our children in the national squad if there is soccer or any other national event in the country to do with sports.”
Referencing icons like Peter Ndlovu, the king stressed the importance of nurturing local talent to open life-changing opportunities.
“Once we get funding, it’s our wish to help them fulfill their dreams which can make them earn a living one day,” he added.
“This reminds me of Peter Ndlovu and others. Their talent took them far and we want that for these young children.”
He said they also now focused on the upcoming Mhlahlandlela memorial event scheduled for September 6.
The event honours the memory of King Mzilikazi, the founder of the Mthwakazi nation.
“This will be a very big event this year,” he said.
“We also urge the people of Mthwakazi to stand up and support issues to do with their culture and tradition.”
He issued a heartfelt call to the broader Mthwakazi community to take responsibility for cultural revival, reflecting on the powerful legacy of past leaders.
“When things are like this and people don’t care, it’s not good. I am requesting that we stand up and support each other,” King Bulelani said.
As the traditional leadership spearheads these cultural programs, their hope is clear: to restore pride, dignity, and opportunity to the people of Mthwakazi—starting with the youth.
