DURBAN - THE Zulu nation was eagerly awaiting the coronation of King Misuzulu, and no amount of opposition from the royal rebels would stop the process from reaching its logical conclusion, the royal house warned yesterday.
This is after a faction opposed to the crowning of King Misuzulu mounted action to halt proceedings, leading to the coronation.
The leader of the faction, Prince Mbonisi Zulu, was quoted in the media during the weekend as denying that there was a new king, insisting that there were only princes and princesses in the Zulu royal house, and that the rightful heir would be announced in line with royal traditions.
It has since emerged that the faction has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa, denying that a new king has been appointed.
The divisions in the Zulu royal house, which emerged after the death of King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu last year, were again laid bare this past weekend when two palaces hosted cleansing ceremonies, to mark a year since the king’s demise.
The latest move by the rebels is in line with their consistent stance that there is no king at the moment. Two weeks ago, when they lost a high court battle, Prince Mbonisi and other royals contended that the core Zulu royal family members and the Zulu Royal Council would appoint a new king. They argued that other parties had interfered with the succession process when this was the preserve of the royal family.
However, royal house spokesperson Prince Afrika Zulu said they had not received any letter from the rebels, adding that they were not expecting anything from them.
“We received no letter from the Zulu rebels, except the judgment from court that was read in (broad) daylight in Pietermaritzburg giving way to His Majesty’s coronation,” said Prince Afrika.
He dismissed the latest move, which he said amounted to an act of defiance to the Zulu nation.
“It’s important to clarify that His Majesty is the Zulu king waiting for the government formalities to affirm him, but his actual appointment as king was made by the Zulu customs when the Zulu nation decided to pay lobola to the Swazi Queen.”
He questioned the motive behind the latest move by the rebels, saying it appeared to be a sponsored effort.
“Taking any matter to the high court is quite an expensive exercise, but they (rebels) were able to do so without any problems. Considering that the case was dismissed with costs, one would think they would be more introspective. It looks like it has become profitable to dispute the king’s crowning,” said Prince Afrika.
He insisted that the royal house was not fazed by the latest move.
“We are no longer in the business of receiving letters of insult about His Majesty’s appointment. No one is in the position to write to the royal family disputing the king’s appointment; the king is the king. We are now waiting for the president to announce a coronation day for His Majesty,” the prince said.
He cautioned Prince Mbonisi and other members of the faction against causing further harm to the royal household, adding that they should learn to obey the law.
Attempts to get comment from the presidency for confirmation of whether they had received any correspondence from members of the Zulu royal family were unsuccessful.
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