ROYAL FAMILY’S LESSON IN FORGING UNITY

WHILE grieving the late king of the Zulu nation, his majesty Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, the province of KwaZulu-Natal found itself once again in mourning with the death of the late queen regent, Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu.

The whirlwind of events that have taken place since then have thrust the Zulu royal family further into the spotlight, especially when it came to who was the rightful heir to the throne.

At a time when the family had been dealt a double blow in terms of loss, one would have expected a heartbroken, but also united, royal family.

However, media reports soon after the deaths painted a picture of a family divided, where we saw the king’s first wife, Queen Sibongile Zulu, as well as her daughters, Princesses Ntandoyenkosi Zulu and Ntombizosuthu Zulu-Duma, lodge applications in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.

Queen Sibongile Zulu had brought an application asking the court to interdict the royal family from disposing of the late Isilo’s estate entirely, while her daughters claimed that the signature on their late father’s will had been forged and asked that it be declared null and void.

These litigation matters were both subsequently withdrawn by those who had brought them before the court.

Headlines of conflicts within the royal family dominated media across the board, however what we see now is a more united family.

What it has achieved in attaining stability is something the nation could learn from.

Following reports that the king’s son, Prince Simakade Zulu, was contesting the throne; he came out denying this and said he fully supported King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, who was named the preferred successor.

Factions in the family also smoked the peace pipe and now fully support the new king.

The strides that have been made by the royal family in forging a united front in the eyes of the Zulu nation are commendable.

This is what some of our country’s leaders could draw from if they want a better future for our nation.

The effort to move forward with the dignity of the household still intact must be saluted. Long live the king!