Zulu King Misuzulu ka Zwelithini’s coronation has triggered the crisis in the Zulu nation and casts doubt on stability reign over one of the biggest ethnic groups in the South Africa.
kaBhekizulu Misuzulu, who has promised to unite his nation and protect tradition, was officially recognised as the AmaZulu King by the South African government on October 29 in the first Zulu coronation since 1971. He is 47 and South Africa’s most eligible bachelor.
Among Africa’s traditional leaders, the King of the Zulu nation is one of those who has iconic status – a result both of the success of its founding king, Shaka kaSenzangakhona, in uniting disparate clans to found the nation 200 years ago, and then of the nation’s warriors inflicting a legendary defeat on British troops with vastly superior weapons at the Battle of Isand lwana in 1879.
The British Empire went on to overwhelm the Zulu kingdom, exiling two of Shaka’s successors at times, but the Zulu monarchy still enjoys the respect of South Africa’s biggest ethnic group, and the celebration of the coronation of the newest king, Misuzulu Sinqobile kaZwelithini.
King Misuzulu is the 9th king of the 11-million-strong Zulu nation.
The King has been embroiled in a nasty feud over the throne as some in the royal family have challenged his right to the throne.
Among them is his half-brother Prince Simakade, who believes he is the right heir to the throne.
Misuzulu’s half-brother Prince Buzabazi has also his sight set on the throne.
AmaZulu Traditional Prime Minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who has stuck with King Misuzulu through tough times, said he was confident that King Misuzulu would rid the Zulu nation of its woes – including poverty.
The tension is visible between Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki at King Misuzulu Sinqobile kaZwelithini’s coronation.
The coronation was a formality as King Misuzulu was already on the throne.
He took the powerful throne when he performed the crucial entering of the kraal ritual in August.
Misuzulu Sinqobile Zulu, 47, is the son of King Goodwill Zwelithini, who died last year after a 50-year reign, and a descendant of the family of King Shaka Zulu, whose bloody conquest to unite the Zulu kingdom two centuries ago has made him something of a mythic figure in popular culture. King Zwelithini, reportedly had diabetes, and died from a COVID-19-related illness.But Misuzulu’s claim as their successor is hotly contested. His father left behind more than a dozen sons. And although Misuzulu has received the blessing of several powerful members of the royal family, as well as the president of South Africa, some of his relatives — including uncles, aunts and siblings — have cast him unfit to lead them.
Misuzulu, who has promised to unite his nation and protect tradition.
Misuzulu’s father, King Zwelithini, passed away in March 2021 after reining since 1971. He had six wives and 28 children. His Great Wife was Mantfombi Dlamini, the daughter of King Sobhuza II of Swaziland; So, she was born from the royal house of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) and she was the mother of contested King Misuzulu. However, she was only the King’s third wife.
In Zwelithini’s will he had named his favourite, third wife Shiyiwe Mantfombi Dlamini, as regent of the more than 11 million Zulus who make up nearly a fifth of South Africa’s population.
The Queen passed away almost two months after Zwelithini on 29 April 2021, just a month after the king — leaving a will designating their son Misuzulu Zulu, 47, to ascend to the throne. Some initial reports claimed that the Queen was poisoned but these were quickly rubbished for having no basis in truth.
Prince Thokozani Zulu disrupted the proceedings of the Queen’s will which named Misuzulu the new Zulu King. His disruption split the family into two: those who supported his questioning of the will and those supporting Misuzulu’s appointment as King. Suddenly gun-wielding men were seen parading around the marquee, chasing away the media. At the same time, King Misuzulu was whisked away by security and taken into hiding.
A Zulu King required recognition from Ramaphosa to fully access government resources and support. The Zulu monarch does not have formal political power but is hugely influential as a custodian of the ethnic group’s traditional customs and land.
The king controls vast swaths of land, estimated at about 3 million hectares, in KwaZulu-Natal under an entity called the Ingonyama Trust.
The Zulu king has no political or even constitutional position, but his traditional authority is recognized in KwaZulu-Natal, where he is said to “reign but not rule.”
the Zulu Monarchy is not a political institution but more a ceremonial monarchy that serves as a trustee to Zulu culture and tradition, the country’s largest ethnic group.
The late King Zwelithini together with Zulu Prime Minister, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, also the leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party negotiated for the Zulu Royal Family to get the Ingonyama Trust which puts ownership of about 26% of land in Kwa-Zulu Natal in the hands of the royal family.
However, Forbes put King Zwelithini’s net worth at nearly $20 million, while the Zulu royal household is given an annual budget of around $5 million by the South African government.
So, King Misuzulu reigns over a divided royal family, with another faction, that includes some of his late father’s wives and some of his siblings from the other palaces, recognising King Zwelithini’s first-born son Prince Simakade as king.
Prince Mbonisi – the uncle of Misuzulu – has contested his nephew’s right to the throne. The Prince has appealed a court decision dismissing the succession case believing another court may rule in his favour.
On January 2022, one of the six widows of Zulu king launched a legal succession bid arguing that she is the monarch’s only legitimate widow as they had a civil marriage, while he wed his five other wives only according to traditional rites.
Queen Sibongile’s two daughters, princesses Ntombizosuthu and Ntandoyenkosi, are for their part contesting the validity of the will.
While there is much to debate about King Misuzulu’s claim to the throne, his royal blood is undeniable.
