The AmaZulu royal house has hastily allayed fears that King MisuZulu kaZwelithini is not well after allegations swirled this week that he left for the Kingdom of Eswatini supposedly to recuperate.
But Liezl van der Merwe, spokesperson for Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi who is the traditional prime minister to the AmaZulu nation and monarch, said Buthelezi was misinterpreted when he appealed to church leaders to pray for the king.
“Prince Buthelezi spoke of the spiritual onslaught his majesty is facing,” said Van der Merwe in a statement.
“He described him as unwell, meant to be understood as spiritually unwell due to the many attacks, struggles and personal turmoil his majesty has faced in recent months, which has been in the public domain.”
Buthelezi told a religious delegation earlier this week that while they prayed for him, they must not forget to also pray for the king, describing the AmaZulu king as not having a clean bill of health.
The delegation comprising multi-denominational heads of churches visited the elderly statesman in his ancestral home of KwaPhindangene in eNkonjeni outside uLundi in KwaZulu-Natal.
Van der Merwe explained that it is unfortunate that Buthelezi’s sentiments were misunderstood.
“Regrettably this comment has been misinterpreted as the king being physically ‘unwell’, which is not the case.”
King MisuZulu has had a turbulent time since ascending the throne following the death of his father King Zwelithini kaBhekuZulu during the height of Covid-19.
Leading up to his coronation, two princes emerged and proclaimed themselves as the rightful heirs to the throne. The kingship tussle is still the subject of the courts.
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