Durban – King MisuZulu kaZwelithini, the heir presumptive to the AmaZulu contentious throne, was appointed as the new monarch taking over from his late father King Zwelithini kaBhekuZulu, but it remains unclear as to when he will be officially coronated.
Speaking to Sunday World this week, the AmaZulu royal house said despite sending numerous correspondence seeking clarity from the KwaZulu government pertaining to the coronation date for the next king, it had not received any feedback.
“The prime minister to the Zulu monarch, Prince [Mangosuthu] Buthelezi, doesn’t set the date for the coronation of His Majesty the King. It is not his prerogative. The letter was sent, and no feedback has been received in this regard,” explained Buthelezi’s spokesperson Liezl van der Merwe.
Dr Maxwell Shamase, University of Zululand academic and contemporary culture expert, said the coronation was a government process.
He said: “What happens is that the provincial government, in this instance premier Sihle Zikalala, would upon receiving correspondence from the royal house, in turn, communicate that to the Presidency to issue a certificate for recognition of Misu- Zulu as the next king. A coronation ceremony is then held for the bestowal of the throne.”
The coronation ceremony usually takes the form of the formal investiture involving umviliyelo (performance) of amabutho (regiments) and Zulu maidens.
This is then followed by the customary ritual and the taking of a special oath of office administered by a member of the judiciary.
Sunday World has also established that despite King MisuZulu not yet being officially recognised as the AmaZulu monarch, he still gets his full salary and benefits paid for by the state.
For the 2021 financial year, the AmaZulu royal house was allocated R65-million for its upkeep, including taking care of the five remaining wives of the late king and his children.
The king’s salary is estimated to be equivalent to that of a chief director in the public sector with an annual package in excess of R1.2-million.
“As has been the practice for many years now, the KwaZulu-Natal government allocates a budget to the Ama- Zulu royal family on a yearly basis. This remains the current position,” said Van der Merwe.
The coronation question is not the only impediment standing between MisuZulu and the throne as his siblings have approached the courts to challenge his appointment, saying it contravened the Traditional Leadership and Governance Act.
The faction, infamously dubbed the royal dissidents, said according to the act, the king can only be appointed through a family appointing structure made up of senior royals.
At the heart of the contention is the control of the late King Zwelithini’s wealth, which is estimated to run into millions of rands and includes properties and businesses.
KwaZulu-Natal government spokesperson Lennox Mabaso said the provincial government had taken a stance not to discuss issues of the royal house with the media.
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