South Africa: Royal Rebels Not Invited to King Misuzulu's Coronation

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King Misuzulu kaZwelithini on August 20, 2022.
19 October 2022
Scrolla (Johannesburg)
By Lungani Zungu

King Misuzulu KaZwelithini is gearing up for his official coronation later this month - but his royal detractors are not welcome.

The divided Zulu Royal household, businesspeople and the government are pulling all the stops to put together an event fit for a king on 29 October at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will officially give King Misuzulu his certificate of recognition in front of a strong crowd of more than 40,000 expected people.

But King Misuzulu's siblings, who are challenging his rise to the Zulu throne, are not invited to the event.

Among them is Prince Mandlakapheli Zulu, who speaks for King Misuzulu's halfbrother, Prince Simakade, who filed papers in court challenging his rise to the throne.

Prince Mandlakapheli said they were not invited.

"Even if we were invited, we were not going to attend," said Mandlakapheli.

Mandlakapheli accused the ANC-run government of taking sides and sowing divisions in the ongoing feud in the royal household.

"This government made matters worse and caused more divisions in the royal house. Ramaphosa can hand over the certificate, but we will continue to fight for what is right," added Mandlakapheli.

Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said it was all systems go for the historic event.

King Misuzulu's close relative, King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Eswatini, confirmed that he would attend.

Tensions in the royal house played out in public again in August when King Misuzulu performed the sacred and crucial entering of the kraal ritual.

Prince Simakade entered the kraal a week before King Misuzulu did and soon after declared himself a king of the Zulu nation.

This triggered a near-bloody clash between the supporters of the two half-brothers, who are children of the late King Goodwill Zwelithini KaBhekuzulu.

King Zwelithini passed on in March last year. A month later, his third wife and King Misuzulu's mother, Queen Mantfombi Shiyuwe Dlamini Zulu also died.

Their deaths in quick succession plunged the royal house into chaos after the battle for the throne ensued.

The spokesperson of the royal house, Prince Thulani Zulu, could not be reached for comment.

Read the original article on Scrolla.

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