Divisions within royal family widen ahead of king’s coronation

Divisions within the Zulu royal family have widened ahead of the coronation of King Misizulu kaZwelithini.

This Saturday King Misuzulu is scheduled to enter the kraal — a sacred ritual that can only be performed by a monarch.

King Misuzulu was early last year announced as the Zulu nation’s new king following the passing of his father, King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu.

However, a Zulu royal family faction led by the late king’s brother, Prince Mbonisi Zulu, objected to King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s appointment, saying royal family members were not consulted before the decision to anoint the new king was made.

The royal family’s succession battles last weekend saw some royal family members declaring Prince Simakade Zulu as the new king of the Zulu nation.

However, the latest developments in the royal family on Tuesday took another twist when Prince Mbonisi also rejected Prince Simakade.

“I was not part of those people who installed him. I can confirm that there is currently no new king in the Zulu royal family. If what you are saying about this thing that happened over the weekend is true, then we will have to bring it to the attention of our lawyers,” he said.

Prince Mbonisi last month attempted to interdict King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s coronation but the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria dismissed his application.

“If you were following that case then you would have picked up that the court did not deal with the merits of the case, it merely said the matter was not urgent. Now that we have dates of certain events [King Misuzulu kaZwelithini entering the kraal] we have given our lawyers new instructions,” he said.

While Prince Simakade’s faction maintained that it did not recognise King Misuzulu kaZwelithini — whose entering the kraal ceremony will be conducted at the Kwakhangelamankene Royal Palace in Nongoma — it has no intention to either interdict or disrupt the Saturday ceremony.

Prince Mandlakapheli, who is Prince Simakade’s right-hand man, said the “real” entering the kraal ceremony was performed last weekend.

Any member of the Zulu nation is aware that such important rituals can only be performed at Enyokeni Palace — where the new King [Simakade] was crowned. What will be happening at the KwaKhangelamankengane Palace is not the entering the kraal ceremony — it’s just a party where members of the public are being invited to have drinks and eat meat. Why should we stand in the way of people who want to party?
Zulu nation prime minister Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi said the events which happened around King Misuzulu kaZwelithini cannot be reversed.

“He is already on the throne,” he said.

The entering the kraal ceremony, Prince Buthelezi said, was not an event to install the king.

“It’s [however] an important moment of expressing loyalty. Once His Majesty has reached the kraal and enters it, a senior member of the royal family will state the passing away of His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini ka Bhekuzulu on March 12, 2021 and announce, before both the living and the dead, that his son, King Misuzulu Sinqobile ka Zwelithini, has taken over as King of the Zulu Nation,” he said.

After Saturday’s event, preparations will begin for the coronation of the new king, who will also receive a certificate declaring him as king of the Zulu nation from President Cyril Ramaphosa.

This article was originally published on The Witness.