News / Regional
Bayethe not for Mugabe says Mzilikazi descendant
26 Mar 2012 at 06:37hrs | Views
A Ndebele royal descendant has castigated President Robert Mugabe's praise singers for abusing the Ndebele royal salute "Bayethe" in honour of the Zanu-PF leader and first secretary.
Addressing members of the Bulawayo civic society organisations Prince Zwidekalanga Khumalo said the royal salute was exclusively preserved for members of the Ndebele royal family.
"We have had people from our region here who have praised President Mugabe saluting him with Bayethe. That is a royal salute. This trivialises the royal institution," he said.
"I am of a royal institution. My grandfather was the first born to King Lobengula.
"But we have a person who was elected in some election in 1980 being saluted with the royal salute. What we know is that Bayethe is a salute exclusively for royal families and royal families are royal because of heredity and not by appointment.
"It is therefore important for people to be culturally aware of the things that we do as praise poets," he said.
However, renowned Bulawayo-based historian Pathisa Nyathi said the salutation was just a way of paying tribute to a societal leader and was not confined to the royal family.
"You don't craft these concepts in stone.
Bayethe was not about a specific individual, but about a post that you held in society," said Nyathi.
"It was a salute by people to a person they held in awe. Therefore this person (modern leader) is a manifestation of a king as it were.
The king was not just about flesh and blood, but the important leadership role they played in society. There are people who play that role today.
The issue is royalty is no longer there. Do you then kill your language because of that.
"If there are people that are believed to have done a lot for their followers, then you will always need the praises (poems) and the salute of Bayethe. What is important is what role the person is playing in society. It was because (King) Mzilikazi was doing something for the people that he was saluted that way. There are people today who are doing a lot for the people. The salute is about how they are viewed by their followers," Nyathi said.
Addressing members of the Bulawayo civic society organisations Prince Zwidekalanga Khumalo said the royal salute was exclusively preserved for members of the Ndebele royal family.
"We have had people from our region here who have praised President Mugabe saluting him with Bayethe. That is a royal salute. This trivialises the royal institution," he said.
"I am of a royal institution. My grandfather was the first born to King Lobengula.
"But we have a person who was elected in some election in 1980 being saluted with the royal salute. What we know is that Bayethe is a salute exclusively for royal families and royal families are royal because of heredity and not by appointment.
"It is therefore important for people to be culturally aware of the things that we do as praise poets," he said.
"You don't craft these concepts in stone.
Bayethe was not about a specific individual, but about a post that you held in society," said Nyathi.
"It was a salute by people to a person they held in awe. Therefore this person (modern leader) is a manifestation of a king as it were.
The king was not just about flesh and blood, but the important leadership role they played in society. There are people who play that role today.
The issue is royalty is no longer there. Do you then kill your language because of that.
"If there are people that are believed to have done a lot for their followers, then you will always need the praises (poems) and the salute of Bayethe. What is important is what role the person is playing in society. It was because (King) Mzilikazi was doing something for the people that he was saluted that way. There are people today who are doing a lot for the people. The salute is about how they are viewed by their followers," Nyathi said.
Source - Byo24News
