On embassy to Ulundi : the Natal Church Leaders Group's mediation attempts in war-torn Natal (1987-1990)

Abstract

The paper examines how church leaders from various mainline churches tried to respond between 1987 and 1990 to the crisis resulting from political violence in the former province of Natal. Supporters of Inkatha were opposed to members of the United Democratic Front, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and later the African National Congress. An ecumenical endeavour to convince warring parties to end the hostilities was met with resistance from Ulundi. The paper argues that the church leaders’ understanding of the need to be prophetic was at conflict with their role as mediation facilitators. Relations between Ulundi and some of the leading ecclesiastical personages coupled with internal dynamics within the church leaders’ group overshadowed the achievements of this remarkable initiative. The attempts by church leaders to resolve the political crisis sowed seed for political tolerance and laid a foundation for democracy in KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa.