Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on animal rights activists

[I Robot]

Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Rights (CRL) Commission facilitates talks between King Zwelithini and animal rights group

25 November 2009

The Chairman of the Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities, the Reverend Wesley Mabuza, is leading the commission in facilitating dialogue between Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini and animal rights activists to resolve a dispute over “Ukweshwama” ritual.

Ukweshwama is a Zulu cultural ritual to symbolically thank God for the first crops of the season. "We have called a meeting of all parties because we believe that this matter should be resolved out of court, through dialogue," said Reverend Mabuza outside the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg this morning. Animal Rights Africa (ARA) went to the KwaZulu-Natal High Court to stop the Ukweshwama ritual which is scheduled to take place on 5 December at King Zwelithini's Palace in KwaNongoma.

The court postponed the matter to 1 December to allow King Zwelithini and other respondents to file their papers. The CRL Commission is a statutory body (Chapter 9 institution) established in terms of the South African Constitution, and has the powers to summon affected parties in a dispute of a cultural, religious or linguistic nature to a negotiating table in search of an amicable resolution. The commission falls under the portfolio of Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sicelo Shiceka, who is also responsible for Traditional Affairs in the country.

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