untitled design

South Africa: Zulu king’s legacy tears royal family apart

 

The war of succession was short-lived. After half a century of reign, Goodwill Zwelithini died on March 12 at the age of 72, from complications from diabetes. He left behind six wives and 28 children, opening the door to a delicate battle of succession. The most numerous ethnicity in a South Africa with eleven official languages, the Zulu nation, with a glorious warlike past, but with dangerous connections during apartheid and the democratic transition, then awaited the coronation of its new king, his main wife of the king des Zulus was appointed regent pending the appointment of a successor.

But a few weeks later, on April 29, the great queen Shiyiwe Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu in turn lost her life. While in the Nguni culture, from which the Zulus come, the successions are “infinitely complex” and none is automatic, according to the historian Pitika Ntuli, the coming to power of the eldest son of the late king and his main wife is contested. According to Courrier International, the Zulu king had, in 2020, more than 4 million euros in budgets allocated by the South African government and a large personal fortune “which includes millions of hectares of land, farms, cattle and several properties ”.

War of succession and battle over the will

First, the Zulu King’s first wife, Sibongile Dlamini, recently filed a lawsuit questioning the appointment of the regent, who was chronologically the third wife, and the authenticity of the will. She also asks the court to be considered the only legitimate wife, lowering the other widows to the status of mistresses. “It will go down in history as shameful behavior for a queen during a period of mourning,” Prince Buthelezi disapproved on Sunday on public television.

Regarding the will, Princesses Ntombizosuthu and Ntandoyenkosi, daughters of Queen Sibongile Dlamini, dispute its authenticity and request an expert report. The will of the deceased, king without power but with a strong symbolic role, was read to a private circle in the wake of the funeral ceremony, according to several experts in Zulu tradition.

In the courts, Queen Sibongile Dlamini also asked to suspend the appointment of a new sovereign until justice has decided. But at the beginning of May, a lawyer reads live on television, the will of the regent, offering his son access to the throne. “I hereby designate and appoint Misuzulu Zulu (…) as my successor to the throne,” says the will of the late regent, read on television by lawyer Griffiths Madonsela.


You may also like

Get the latest

Stay Informed: Get the Latest Updates and Insights

 

Most popular