Doubts over Zulu king’s address to KZN legislature
WHILE the Kwazulu-natal Legislature said it was still in consultations on whether de facto Zulu king Misuzulu kazwelithini will address the opening of the legislature next week, the king will attend only if he is going to make a speech.
This was confirmed by the king’s spokesperson, Prince Afrika, as the legislature was preparing for the opening and state of the province address by Premier Sihle Zikalala which will take place on Wednesday and Thursday.
While the address by the king was not mandatory as per the rules of the legislature, it has become a norm to give a platform to the monarch to address members of the legislature and the nation.
However, since the passing of King Zwelithini kabhekuzulu, in March last year, there has been confusion about whether King Misuzulu will address as he was not officially crowned as yet.
This was caused by a dispute within the royal family over who should be the next king of the Zulu nation.
As a result of the dispute, the KZN government took a decision not to support the events of the royal family or recognise Misuzulu as the king until all the squabbles were resolved.
This week Zikalala and the Speaker of the KZN Legislature Nontembeko Boyce visited the royal family for consultation and invitation.
Prince Afrika said they were still waiting for clarity on whether King Misuzulu was invited as a king or prince.
He said inviting the king as a prince would be undermining all the work that has been done.
“A lion is a lion, you can never invite a lion to be a pet in the legislature. We can not allow that, it will be serious irreversible damage to the throne. It will also depress the throngs of people in the Zulu nation who recognise and honour their king.
“The government’s position was that they are neutral to the whole family and there is no king according to them.
“The premier came to consult with the king but we are still in the dark about the invitation.
“We will seek clarity on what capacity the king was invited,” said Prince Afrika.
Nomusa Phungula, spokesperson for the KZN Legislature, said the visit was a normal consultation exercise with the royal family as stakeholders.
She said an invitation was extended to the royal family including the king but would not confirm or deny whether he will address the opening.
“The consultation is still ongoing about who will address the opening.
“By Tuesday all the plans will be finalised and we will call a press conference to clarify everything. As per the norm, the royal family has been invited to be part of the opening. They are an important stakeholder to the legislature and government.”
The Ifp-led municipalities from the northern part of the province have been supportive of King Misuzulu, including sponsoring the royal events.
According to various political analysts, this had an impact on the ANC, which lost support in the province. This week a group of ANC members led by Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu, also paid a visit to the king to pledge their support.
Mchunu told the king that the ANC national executive committee would always recognise and respect the king.
The dispute over the throne was still before Pietermaritzburg High Court, which is yet to deliver the judgment on the authenticity of the late king’s last will which was contested by two princesses opposing King Misuzulu.
Opposition parties in the legislature IFP and NFP have called for King Misuzulu to address the opening.