Amabutho (Zulu Regiments) sing the praises of the new King as they wait for the arrival of the new King Prince Misuzulu kaZwelithini at the Kwakhangelamankengane Royal Palace on 19 August 2022. Photo: AFP/Rajesh Jantilal
The small town of kwaNongona in KwaZulu-Natal is abuzz with activity this weekend – ahead of AmaZulu King Misuzulu’s coronation, which now hangs in the balance.
The ceremony will be held at the kwaKhangelamankangane Royal Palace, a year after King Misuzulu kaZwelithini was announced as King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu’s successor.
While some residents said they are hopeful for the future and that the king’s vision will bring stability to the community, the king’s family is attempting to halt the ceremony.
The divisions within the royal family continue as two daughters of the late King Goodwill Zwelithini submitted an urgent application to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).
Queen Sibongile Dlamini-Zulu’s daughters – Princesses Ntandoyenkosi Zulu and Ntombizosuthu Zulu-Duma – went declared to the high court that their father’s will had been forged.
The KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg initially dismissed the claim.
With the ceremony set to take place on Saturday, the princesses seek to halt the traditional rite of entering the kraal.
Meanwhile, Minister Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi said the events cannot be reversed as Misuzulu “is already on the throne”.
The entering the kraal ceremony, Prince Buthelezi said, was not an event to install the king. Instead, it’s an “important moment of expressing loyalty”.
This is a developing story, more to follow.
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