Zimpapers Logo

King Zwelithini

DURBAN. — President Jacob Zuma’s son, Edward, has come out in full support of King Goodwill Zwelithini’s controversial call to deport foreigners from South Africa. “We need to be aware that as a country we are sitting on a ticking time bomb of them (foreigners) taking over the country.

“The reason why I am saying that is because some of the foreigners are working for private security companies where they have been employed for cheap labour. These companies are running away from complying with South African labour laws,” said the president’s eldest son.

Zuma told News24 in an interview he fully agreed with Zwelithini’s sentiments that “foreigners needed to leave the country.” Zwelithini allegedly made the comments, which have sparked criticism, at a moral regeneration rally in Pongola, northern KwaZulu-Natal, two weeks ago.

The Zulu king reportedly said that foreigners were changing the nature of South African society as they were taking advantage of the poorly behaved and undisciplined locals.

Zwelithini was also quoted as saying, “We urge all foreigners to pack their bags and leave.”

Despite the South African Human Rights Commission now probing the Zulu king’s utterances, Zuma junior said, as a citizen of South Africa, he fully agreed with the king. He said some foreigners didn’t have legal documentation permitting them to be in the country.

The time bomb, charged Zuma, was that some foreigners were carrying guns and some of them were soldiers in their home countries.

“In South Africa you need to have a gun licence to be able to carry a gun. Where are their licences? We can’t rule out the possibility of a coup in the future. The government needs to clean out everyone that is in the country illegally. They need to leave,” said Zuma. — News24.