Johannesburg – The delay in appointing the next Zulu king is in part to afford aspirant monarch Prince MisuZulu an opportunity to get married.
Sunday World understands that while the Zulu royal house has maintained that the delay in appointing the next king to lead AmaZulu was to afford the royal house and the Zulu nation an opportunity to mourn the fallen King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, it has emerged that MisuZulu’s marital status made what would have been an easy process difficult.
Very little is known about the 47-yearold prince, besides that he studied in the US and is said to have a son with a unknown woman.
This week, the Zulu royal family announced that Queen Mantfombi Dlamini, the sister to eSwatini absolute Monarch Mswati III, had been appointed as regent for three months, after which the royal seniors will announce the next heir to the AmaZulu throne.
“There are no two ways about it, Prince MisuZulu is the next king and this is confirmed by the will. The only stumbling block is that he is unmarried and according to African beliefs system and Zulu culture, the king can only ascend to the throne once he is married and has a queen. So, within the three months’ period, it is expected that this would have been sorted out,” explained an insider, speaking on condition of anonymity.
He said there were also fears within the royal circles that if the regent was not appointed immediately, it would have led to a leadership vacuum and ignite other voices within the royal family who might harbour kingship ambitions.
“Ideally, the position of regent should have been held by one of the departed king’s brothers. This time, the royal family was careful and appointed Queen Mantfombi to avoid a situation similar to what happened in 1971, when Prince Mcwayizeni refused to recognise King Zwelithini as the legitimate heir. He wanted to cling on to power at all costs,” he added.
It is widely believed that the the appointment of Queen Mantfombi would make the transition easier as she is unlikely to block the ascendency of her first son to the highest seat of the Zulu kingdom.
Professor Jabulani Maphalala, a retired academic and respected historian specialising in Zulu history, also confirmed that the royal crown belonged to Prince MisuZulu and that the appointment of a regent was part of preparing a safe passage for him.
“He can’t be a king without a queen. The reason for the hold-up and the installation of the regent is for him to wed before taking up his rightful position. He will then appoint his own traditional prime minister,” said Maphalala.
Maphalala also allayed fears that other queens in the royal family might have a legitimate court case against the installation of Prince MisuZulu following the emergence of the name of Prince PhumuzuZulu, born of King Zwelithini’s second wife Queen Buhle kaMathe, as another candidate for the kingship.
“In fact, MisuZulu can be loosely be translated as strengthen the Zulus. This gives you an indication as to who is the next king. Besides this, before Queen Mantfombi was made the royal wife, her father King Sobhuza II wanted an assurance that his daughter will give birth to the heir of the Zulu kingdom. This was granted and it was agreed the queen will enjoy the status of a great wife and her lobola paid by the Zulu nation,” said Maphalala.
Prince Mbonisi Zulu, the spokesperson for the royal family, did not want to be drawn on the issue.
“The Zulu royal family has communicated its decision that a regent had been appointed in the interim to look into the affairs of the royal house and the Zulu nation.”
Apart from being paid a monthly salary equivalent to that of a chief director in the public service, the king will have a say in how a more than R70-million annual budget allocated by the KwaZulu-Natal government for the royal upkeep is spent.
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