Johannesburg – The bitter feud over the rightful heir to the AmaZulu throne is expected to be back at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday.
Since the sudden passing of AmaZulu much-revered monarch King Zwelithini kaBhekuZulu in March, the AmaZulu royal house has seen no peace with the emergence of different factions among the royal siblings all jostling to be awarded the kingship which comes with lucrative perks from the state.
Zwelithini’s first wife, Queen Sibongile Dlamini fired the first salvo making an urgent application to the Pietermaritzburg High Court demanding among other things that the appointment of the next AmaZulu king be halted alleging that the signature on the late king’s will was forged and therefore it was invalid.
In her court papers, she also wanted the court to clarify her constitutional rights as the first wife of Zwelithini.
Queen Sibongile of Kwakhethomthandayo royal palace also demands 50% of the late king’s estate.
Have you read: Inside story: Zulu custom dictates that a king must have his queen
Prince Thulani Zulu, AmaZulu royal house spokesperson on Thursday told Sunday World that the court will not deal with the substance of the succession matter on Friday.
“What we expect will happen is that both sides, the applicants and the respondents will file supporting court papers. The court might then adjourn and allocate another date for the case to be heard,” explained Zulu.
Two princesses Ntandoyenkosi Zulu and Princess Ntombizosuthu Zulu-Duma are also joining their mother battling it out in court against their brother king designate MisuZulu kaZwelithini.
They claim his appointment as the successor was illegitimate and that he must not be referred to as their king.
The royal faction has also petitioned the KZN premier Sihle Zikalala not to recognise anyone calling himself the king of AmaZulu.
The standoff has put in jeopardy the coronation of MisuZulu.
The AmaZulu royal house is allocated more than R 66 million in the annual budget by the KwaZulu-Natal government.
You may also be interested in: How the Zulu royal blood runs in the Tembe household
The funds are used for the welfare of the king including the organizing of different cultural ceremonies.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
Sunday World
