KWAZULU NATAL, South Africa – Prince Misuzulu Zulu will become the next Zulu King after he was anointed by his mother Queen Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu in her last will and testament.
The announcement on Friday exposed divisions in the Zulu Royal Family following the death in March of King Goodwill Zwelithini at the age of 72.
In a will read shortly after his death, King Zwelithini had named his first wife Queen Mantfombi as regent pending the installation of a successor, before she too died suddenly on April 30 at the age of 65.
King Zwelithini’s will was disputed by some members of the family, some of whom rose to challenge Queen Mantfombi’s nomination of her son read out by her lawyer Advocate Madoda Madonsela at the royal palace in kwaNongoma.
Madonsela said the queen had chosen her eldest son to be the next king, but some family members including Prince Thokozani, Prince Mbonisi and Princess Thembi – all from different royal houses – question whether she had authority to install her son and have filed at least two court applications to stop the process.
Few believe they will succeed, not least because Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the prime minister of the Zulu nation, vouched for King Zwelithini’s will and supports Prince Misuzulu’s ascendency to the throne. The 46-year-old is also hugely popular in KwaZulu Natal, the seat of the Zulu nation., and among the country’s politicians.
“There’s no confusion at all; long live the Zulu Nation,” opposition Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema tweeted shortly after the announcement.
Queen Mantfombi married Zwelithini in 1977, becoming his third wife. She was the sister of King Mswati III of eSwatini, ruler of the country formerly known as Swaziland
King Mswati reportedly sent his personal security to protect Prince Misuzulu after his mother’s death. The prince was whisked away shortly after the reading of the will, and as objections were being raised by some members of the family in front of the media.
The Zulu are South Africa’s largest ethnic group, accounting for around a fifth of the country’s population, most living in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal. The monarch has no formal government powers but upholds Zulu tradition and controls millions of hectares of land through a trust.
