Court dismisses urgent bid to halt King Misuzulu’s coronation

The Pretoria High Court on Tuesday dismissed an urgent interdict application by the half-brother of the late Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini to stop the coronation of his nephew, King Misuzulu, due to take place next month.

Battle for the AmaZulu throne

Prince Mbonisi Zulu lodged the last-minute application in a bid to halt King Misuzulu‘s coronation from going ahead on 13 August, at Enyokeni palace in Nongoma (northern KwaZulu-Natal).

However, Judge Noluntu Bam struck the matter off the roll after finding that the application was not urgent. Prince Mbonisi Zulu was ordered to pay the costs.

Despite the coronation going ahead, there were two other cases in the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) and the Pretoria High Court challenging King Misuzulu’s appointment as the successor to the AmaZulu throne.

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Prince Mbonisi and other members of the royal family are seeking to review and set aside the decision by President Cyril Ramaphosa, in March this year, to officially recognise King Misuzulu as the monarch.

The official recognition followed the passing of King Goodwill Zwelithini in March last year, and the passing of the regent queen Mantfombi Dlamini a month later.

Prince Mbonisi claims that the process to recognise King Misuzulu was hijacked by Zulu traditional prime minister Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who he had accused of misleading Misuzulu into believing he is the king “by birth and divine rights”.

Prince Mbonisi had also claimed King Misuzulu was not fit and proper to lead the AmaZulu nation, accusing him of committing incest and being a drug addict.

However, King Misuzulu labelled these allegations as pure fiction, saying they were made “maliciously to scandalise” him.

The court case before the SCA related to an appeal of the ruling by the Pietermaritzburg High Court in March this year that declared King Misuzulu as the “undisputed successor to the throne”.

Compiled by Thapelo Lekabe

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