Son of King Goodwill Zwelithini who died in 2021 after fifty years of reign, Misuzulu Zulu is challenged by the first wife and his descendants.
Le Monde with AFP
The rite must be held in the greatest secrecy: the new king of the Zoulous, the most powerful customary sovereign in South Africa, will be crowned on Saturday August 20 after an endless quarrel for the succession to the throne of the legendary “People from the sky “.
In this country of southern Africa with eleven official languages, traditional sovereigns and leaders are recognized by the Constitution. Kings without executive power, they exercise a deep moral authority and are venerated by their people.
To succeed his father Goodwill Zwelithini, who died in 2021 after fifty years of reign, Misuzulu Zulu, 47, will enter the tradition in “the cattle enclosure” of the Kwakhethomthandayo palace, Nongoma, a small town, from the province of Kwazulu-Natal (Southeast) and cradle of the largest ethnicity in South Africa.
Only a few members of the royal family and Amabutho (warriors) will be allowed to enter this sort of temple of the Zulu nation. A handful of people know what will happen.
The sovereign, dubbed by the ancestors during this first rite of passage, “will then be presented to the nation which will undertake to respect and accept it as king”, explains to AFP Gugulethu Mazibuko, specialist in cultures Africans at the University of Kwazulu-Natal. The 11 million Zulus of the country, almost one in five South African, generally responds en masse to invitations to celebrate their culture.
Women, in traditional outfits, Hululent and hit the soil in cadence. Young girls appear naked breasts, only carrying collars of colorful pearls. Long columns of men dressed in animals of animals and armed with sagaies mimic war, inheritance of the glorious bellicose past against the colonist.
Because the greatness and fame of the Zulu people, which resonate beyond African borders, originally rest on the exploits of Chaka, ruthless warrior and creator of the army which, in the 19th e century, won a bloody battle against the British Empire.
Barefoot warriors, dressed in monkey skin skirts and bracelets, defeat a regular army. The imagination does the rest, historians find a nickname: “The Spartans of Africa.” “This nation is proud of its identity”, sums up M me mazibuko.
Recently, it was inside the palace that the battle was raging. Son of the favorite of the deceased king, Misuzulu Zulu is challenged by the first wife and his descendants. King Goodwill Zwelithini had a total of six women and at least twenty-eight children. Last weekend, the dissident clan celebrated the coronation of the elder of his line, in a desperate attempt to seize the throne.
a fortune and a sumptuous lifestyle
The first queen, who brought her wrath before the courts, claims to be the only legitimate. And his daughters dispute the authenticity of the will. Its execution was suspended but the queen was dismissed. And last twist in the royal saga, the brothers of the deceased king announced Thursday at a press conference a mysterious third pretender to the throne.
Besides the crown, the king’s fortune is also at the center of the dispute. King Zoulou is a rich owner of land managed by a trust of which he is the sole administrator. It holds nearly 30,000 km 2 , the area of Belgium. And nearly 1,500 properties from which it can draw rents.
Known to lead a sumptuous lifestyle, King Zwelithini received around 75,000 euros from the State per year for its personal use, as well as a budget of 4.2 million euros for the functioning of the kingdom, According to a scale published in the Official Journal.
Support for a sovereign who plays a role as the guarantor of social peace. “He ensures the well-being of his subjects, cares about poverty and community development questions”, arguing for example for the creation of infrastructure, explains Sihawukele Ngubane from the University of Kwazulu-Natal.
In the coming months, President Cyril Ramaphosa will seal the coronation by formally recognizing the King of the Zulus, hoping to end the rivalries that threaten peace on the kingdom.