President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa has been directed by a high court to look into allegations that customary laws were broken when Misuzulu Sinqobile kaZwelithini was chosen to be the King of the Zulu people, the biggest ethnic group in the nation.
The directive came after a verdict on Monday that deemed it unlawful for the South African government to recognise Misuzulu as the Zulu throne’s heir in 2023.
Following the death of his father, King Goodwill Zwelithini, in March 2021, Misuzulu, 49, assumed the throne over the more than ten million Zulu people, the majority of whom reside in the KwaZulu-Natal area of South Africa. After more than 50 years as the head of the wealthiest and most powerful traditional monarchy in the nation, King Zwelithini’s passing precipitated a succession dispute that postponed the country’s coronation for 15 months.
At a state celebration in October of last year, President Ramaphosa gave Misuzulu a diploma designating him as the new king.
Misuzulu is not the rightful heir to the throne, according to several of his siblings, who have challenged the procedure. The action was filed by Prince Simakade, his older brother, who wanted to revoke the presidential recognition.
There are reports that the late King Zwelithini had at least 28 children and six marriages. According to legend, Misuzulu is the first child of his third wife, whom he is claimed to have named regent in his will. According to multiple accounts, the queen passed away a month after her husband did, leaving a will that named Misuzulu as king.
The Pretoria High Court censured Ramaphosa on Monday for neglecting to organise an investigation into the King’s legitimacy subsequent to learning of a disagreement within the royal family regarding the choice of the heir apparent.
According to the Associated Press, Judge Norman Davis’ ruling stated, “It is declared that the recognition by the first respondent of the second respondent as Isilo [king] of the Zulu nation was unlawful and invalid, and the recognition decision is hereby set aside.”
The outlet further reported that the judge made it clear that the purpose of the decision was to ascertain whether the king was the legitimate heir and not whether the proper procedures had been followed.
Misuzulu asked the Zulu people and the royal family to maintain their composure in the wake of Tuesday’s decision.
The statement, which was released by the regional publication Scrolla Africa, stated that “the King is still on the throne and continues with his day-to-day engagement of the Zulu nation.”
Traditional leaders are acknowledged by South African legislation, which also gives them some power and duties.
Through the Ingonyama Trust, the Zulu royal family is thought to hold over 30% of the land in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province of the nation. After apartheid ended, the Trust was created to oversee the land owned by the KwaZulu government on behalf of the Zulu communities residing there. A portion of KwaZulu-Natal served as a self-governing homeland for black South Africans who had been exiled from white-only metropolitan areas prior to the country’s democratic transition in 1994.
