Court to hear Zulu royal family dispute

Bid to strip King Misuzulu kaZwelithini of his financial benefits

The Pietermaritzburg High Court will tomorrow hear an application by Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s uncle for His Majesty to be stripped of the financial benefits which he is currently getting from the government.

Apart from receiving a monthly salary, the Zulu King — who is currently the chairperson of the Ingonyama Trust Board, also enjoys financial benefits from the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government.

However, the king’s uncle Prince Mbonisi Zulu’s lawyer Barnabas Xulu argued that King Misuzulu was not entitled to the financial benefits given that the his legitimacy was being contested.

“The law is very clear in respect of when the state organs can spend the public money for the purposes of benefiting individuals,” Xulu said.

Following the passing of King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu in 2021, King Misuzulu kaZwelithini was announced as the successor during a Zulu royal family meeting held in Nongoma on May 7 the same year.

However, a section of the Zulu royal family was of the view that customs and traditions were not followed when King Misuzulu was appointed.

In December, the Pretoria High Court ruled that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to recognise King Misuzulu was invalid and unlawful.

At the time, the Pretoria High Court directed Ramaphosa to establish a committee to investigate the king’s appointment.

However, Ramaphosa resolved to appeal the Pretoria High Court ruling instead of complying with the court’s order to appoint the committee.

In January, King Misuzulu announced the appointment of Zululand District Municipality Mayor, Thulasizwe Buthelezi as the Zulu nation’s new prime minister following the passing of long-serving traditional prime minister Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi in September last year.

Xulu, however, said the king should not be making any major decisions given that his legitimacy was being challenged in various courts.

“We insist that he [King Misuzulu] does not make any decisions that will have an impact on the [AmaZulu] kingdom.

“For instance, he should not have appointed the traditional prime minister while this matter was pending,” Xulu said.

King Misuzulu is the eldest son of the late King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu and his great wife Queen Mantfombi Dlamini — who is the daughter of the late eSwatini King Sobhuza ll.

According to Zulu royal family customs and traditions, the heir to the throne should be the first-born son of the king and the great wife.

While King Misuzulu’s opponents within the Zulu royal family accepted the tradition, they claim that the appointment should have been made by members of the royal family — some of whom allege they were not part of the decision to appoint the current king.

The Pietermaritzburg High Court is set to hear Prince Mbonisi Zulu’s application tomorrow and on Thursday.