Johannesburg – There is still no end in sight to the acrimonious succession struggle within the AmaZulu royal house, with renewed efforts to quell animosity and bad blood among royal siblings again reaching a dead end this week.
In the latest development, siblings of the AmaZulu royal house, who have mounted a legal challenge against the appointment of Prince MisuZulu kaZwelithini as the heir to the contentious AmaZulu throne, have rejected frantic efforts by royal seniors who sought to discourage them from pursuing their court challenge against the selection of Prince MisuZulu as heir to the throne.
Princess Ntombizosuthu Zulu and her sister Princess Ntandoyenkosi have joined their mother Queen Sibongile Dlamini in battling it out in court, where they are questioning the legitimacy of their brother to sit on the throne. According to royal insiders, there are ongoing behind-the-scenes meetings between senior royals and those who are challenging for the throne.
In the last round of negotiations this week, the trio was apparently told to withdraw the case and raise its grievances in the royal council instead, but it rejected the plea. The royal council is the highest decision-making structure in the AmaZulu royal house.
It represents the views and wishes of about 200 royal houses directly linked to AmaZulu kingdom ancestry.
“There are currently ongoing efforts to resolve the impasse through the royal family structures. Both the lawyers of the applicants and those representing the respondents have agreed that litigation should be the last resort. The only deadlock is that the princesses and the queen are not interested in what the royal seniors are offering. “According to them, the deadlock can only be resolved in a court as a neutral party,” one royal insider, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Sunday World.
Prince MisuZulu is the eldest son of the late AmaZulu King Zwelithini kaBhekuZulu and his third wife, the late Queen Regent Mantfombi Dlamini of the Kwakhangelamankengane royal palace.
Since the passing of Zwelithini, the AmaZulu royal house has not seen any peace with royal siblings fiercely jostling for the vacant throne.
MisuZulu was nominated heir apparent by his late mother, but this decision is challenged by the trio, who allege that the signature on the late king’s will was forged.
The matter is under scrutiny at the Pietermaritzburg High Court, where the late king’s estate is also being challenged.
The two princesses initially brought separate applications in which they demanded that their brother not be referred to as their king and that his coronation is halted. The court instead ruled that the matters will be combined into a single case and be heard on June 18.
AmaZulu traditional prime minister Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Prince Misu- Zulu are cited as key respondents.
Buthelezi has insisted that MisuZulu must be referred to as the king of AmaZulu, saying his coronation will be a mere formality.
But the princesses and their mother differ, suggesting that the throne is vacant as the succession question is subject to litigation.
Meanwhile, AmaZulu royal house spokesperson Prince Thulani Zulu said there was no crisis in the royal house.
“As things stand, there is only one person who has been named as successor. This will be formalised through his coronation.”
Queen Sibongile wants the court to also clarify her constitutional rights as the first and only legally married wife of the late king. She further calls for the KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala not to issue any certificate recognising anyone calling himself AmaZulu king.
For the 2021 financial year, the provincial government has allocated more than R66-million to the royal household.
Should the application be granted, it would mean that the funds would be frozen until the succession question has been resolved.
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