In the aftermath of what appeared to be the well-planned assassination of Prince Mbongiseni Milton Muntukaphiwana Zulu, who was a senior member of the royal family and AmaZulu King MisuZulu Ka Zwelithini’s trusted confidante, there are now renewed fears that the life of the AmaZulu king could be in imminent danger.
The killing coincided with the Umgidi ceremony planned for this weekend at Enyokeni Royal Palace in Nongoma, the heartland of KwaZulu-Natal.
Prince Mbongiseni, 66, was ambushed on Thursday in Nongoma while he was in the company of his 33-year-old bodyguard, who also died in hospital after suffering severe gunshot wounds. The brazen killing sent shock waves through the monarchy and thickened the mistrust that exists in the royal house over the contested throne.
According to royal insiders who spoke to Sunday World, the situation is tense with those close to the king looking over their shoulders, not knowing who might be next in the firing line.
“When uMntungwa (Dumisani Khumalo) was killed, we did not want to read too much into it. But it is clear now that the plan is to destabilise King MisuZulu’s throne and cause panic.
“The king has been advised to limit any public engagements until things have cooled off. There is now a general fear and worry that his life is under threat,” said the insider not permitted to speak to the media.
The tense atmosphere and concerns over the safety of the AmaZulu king is understood to have curtailed his visit to the Anglican Church headquarters in Cape Town. He was expected to visit St George’s Cathedral, but it has emerged his security detail might not have planned properly for the visit and would have put him in harm’s way.
It is the second visit that the king has had to cancel amid security threats after making an 11th-hour decision not to attend the soccer World Cup in Qatar.
Another insider said there are discussions that the king’s security should be bolstered.
“There is the King MisuZulu boxing tournament that the king was expected to launch next month at Moses Mabhida Stadium, but there are now talks that perhaps it should not go ahead,” he said.
The boxing tournament was initially the idea of MisuZulu’s father, the late king Zwelithini kaBhekuZulu, but he died before it came to fruition, and the reigning king is now carrying out his father’s wish. The tournament is organised by Arnold Dodile the CEO of the J4 Joy International Boxing.
King MisuZulu’s spokesperson, Prince Thulani Zulu, said the security of the king is a serious matter that cannot be discussed publicly.
“The security detail of the king is a sensitive matter,” said Zulu.
In September, another of MisuZulu’s trusted lieutenant induna (headman) Dumisani Khumalo was killed outside his home. Khumalo had attended the reed dance ceremony earlier that day.
He was a key member of the oSuthu traditional council, which had openly voiced their support for MisuZulu as the rightful king of AmaZulu.
Inkatha Freedom Party president Velenkosini Hlabisa said the recent killings of those close to the king have the potential to cause instability and plunge the Zulu nation into crisis.
The killings are taking place amid an ongoing court battle over who the legitimate king of AmaZulu is, with self-proclaimed kings saying they are deserving of the throne.
A faction of the royal house has endorsed Prince Buzabazi as its preferred king, while another wants Zwelithini’s first-born son out of wedlock, Prince Simakade, to inherit the throne.
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