AmaZulu king Misuzulu ka Zwelithini’s alleged escapades with members of the opposite sex, which often make media headlines and trend on social media, together with mounting public pressure on his wife are believed to have influenced her decision to divorce the monarch.
This is according to insiders close to Queen KaMayisela Zulu, who concedes that although the marriage had broken down, divorce was the last resort.
“This thing with the king has had a devastating mental toll on her. Although she was no longer happy in her marriage, the divorce was never on her mind,” one insider told Sunday World.
He also explained that at some stage, KaMayisela had expressed regret for marrying into the royal house.
“The king’s troubles and his behaviour particularly, which was exposed on numerous occasions on social media, had strained their relationship. She felt the king exposed her and their children to undue media attention because of his extramarital affairs,” the source further pointed out.
In an unprecedented move this week, the king secretly filed divorce papers at the Pietermaritzburg High Court in KwaZulu-Natal. He cited an “irretrievable breakdown” of their union as the heart of the separation.
King Misuzulu becomes the first AmaZulu king to file for divorce in 209 years of the Zulu kingship.
“The marriage relationship between the plaintiff and defendant has reached a state of disintegration such that there are no reasonable prospects for the restoration of a normal marriage relationship between the parties,” the court papers explained in part.
The court papers also laid bare the long-standing hostilities between the couple, revealing that they had not lived together for at least a year.
“Aside from the communication regarding the parties’ children, there is no meaningful communication between the parties,” it was revealed in court papers.
The king will pay R20,000 in rehabilitative maintenance for 12 months for his two children.
KaMayisela has in the past lamented the constant defamation of her character on social media on allegations that she was having an affair. “The defamation of my character on social media caused me and my children great distress,” KaMayi-sela previously lamented.
But what broke the camel’s back was the king’s decision to take a third wife, Queen Nomzamo KaMyeni-Zulu, without her approval as the first wife.
“I learned about my husband’s marriage through social media alongside the rest of South Africa,” she was quoted.
Things became visibly clear that there was trouble in paradise when KaMayisela did not attend the significant royal gatherings in 2023, such as the annual reed dance and the king’s 50th birthday celebration.
Cultural expert Professor Musa Xulu explained that the king’s divorce had put the AmaZulu royal house into disarray.
“Traditionally the AmaZulu nation regards the institution of marriage as permanent and sacred and this move by the king was very surprising and shocking. As the king he should be the barometer on which the nation and his subjects should measure themselves in terms of beha-viour and otherwise,” said Xulu.
He also pointed out that according to Zulu traditions, “an unmarried king is a weak king. The decision will weaken him as a king”.
King Misuzulu also has another wife, Nozizwe Mulela from Eswatini, whose status in the royal house is also under scrutiny following her absence at public gatherings.
Prince Simphiwe Zulu, the king’s spokesperson, did not want to be drawn into the king’s marital affairs.
