The members of the Zulu royal family who are backing Prince Simakade for the Zulu throne say they are studying Monday’s Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgment that affirmed King Misuzulu as the rightfully recognised traditional leader of the Zulu nation.
After that, they would then meet and decide what to do next. Among the discussion would be whether the matter should be taken to the Constitutional Court for final arbitration or not.
This was revealed by Prince Thokozani Zulu, spokesperson for Prince Simakade and his backers within the Zulu royal families. They spoke to Sunday World on Thursday.
Zulu said this after King Misuzulu KaZwelithini of the Zulu nation hit the ground running with his kingdom-wide reconciliation project.
As a result, the king has since summoned heads of palaces and royal houses, princes and princesses, traditional leaders, commanders of regiments, headmen, and others to the Mashobeni royal palace in Pongola to start the process.
The mass meeting, called “Isibaya”, is scheduled for October 29. The meeting was publicly communicated by Prince Thulani Zulu on behalf of the King on Wednesday.
Weighing their options
Said Zulu: “We acknowledge the judgment handed down by the Supreme Court of Appeal. We are currently studying its contents and implications. In due course, we will convene a physical meeting to deliberate on the pertinent issues and to seek guidance from our legal practitioners. A press briefing will be held to take the nation into our confidence. And to communicate the way forward,” Zulu said.
This comes after the SCA set aside the 2023 Pretoria High Court judgment by Judge Norman Davis. It had ruled that President Cyril Ramaphosa erred when he recognised King Misuzulu as the leader of the Zulu nation.
In the latest judgment, the appeals court set aside this previous judgment. This handed a setback to Prince Simakade’s bid to claim the prestigious throne.
The court also dismissed an application by Prince Mbonisi. He wanted the process to identify a new Zulu king to be started afresh, claiming that the process was flawed.
SCA set aside previous ruling
The SCA found that Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Isaac Madondo concluded that there was no dispute for the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal or the president to investigate and to refer back to the Zulu Royal Family for consideration and resolution in terms of s 8(4) of the Leadership Act.
In its judgment, the SCA said it was clear that Ramaphosa consulted with the then KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Sihle Zikalala, before he recognised the King. Hence, Prince Simakade’s claim that there were no consultations falls away.
“In my view the President, as required by the Leadership Act, consulted with the Premier before deciding to recognise Prince Misuzulu as the rightful king. It therefore follows that Prince Mbonisi’s attack on the recognition decision based on the President’s failure to consult with the Premier must also fail,” reads the SCA ruling.
