A kingdom without a country; A king without power; However, the battles for the throne… this may sound like a question for a story. But this is exactly what is happening in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The Zulu tribe in that province has no separate country, borders or government authority. However, huge fights are going on for the ‘king’s throne’ for that ethnic group. Misujulu Zwelithini, the son of late King Goodwill Zwelithini’s third wife, has emerged victorious in this battle for the throne that has lasted for more than a year. As a new king has been elected, the fighting is still going on in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, even though the celebrations are over.
Zulu – Little Flashback!
The Zulu are one of South Africa’s proudest indigenous ethnic groups. In the 1800s it was one of the most powerful ethnic groups in the world. In 1816, Shaka Ka Sensangakona became king of the Zulu tribe after killing his brother. It was Shaka who united the scattered Zulu people, demarcated the boundaries and formally created the Zulu kingdom. It was during his 12-year reign that the strength of the Zulu ethnic group became stronger. In 1828, Shaka was assassinated by his son-in-law for the throne.
In 1879, the Zulu army routed British troops invading their kingdom. This victory made the Zulu ethnic group world famous. There has always been fierce competition and conflict for the throne of the Zulu ethnic group. There is a history of many heads rolling in these conflicts. After South Africa became a democracy, the powers of the Zulu ethnic group were lost. The protests for a separate country also ended in failure.
Currently, there are about 1.2 million Zulu people living in South Africa. This is one-fifth of the country’s population. Therefore, whoever comes to power will give importance to the Zulu ethnic group. In South African parliamentary elections, the votes of the Zulu people are very important. Because of the king’s enormous influence among the Zulu people, political parties have continued to pay due respect to the incumbents of the throne. Also, the trust, which runs under the Zulu king, has a lot of assets.
6 wives… and family problems..!
Well, let’s get back to the present day… In 1968, King Goodwill of the Zulu tribe had a total of six wives. Of the six, the third wife, Mandphombi, was of the highest status, though not of the Zulu race. The reason is that he comes from the royal family of Swaziland. In March last year, Goodwill died due to corona virus. With his body buried hand in hand, fights began over who would be the next king.
In this case, a will was found, written by Goodwill, that “Queen Montfomby may choose the next King”. As everyone expected, Mantfombi introduced his son Mizuzulu. But as two more of Goodwill’s heirs vie for the throne, the game heats up. The king’s successors, Simakade Zwelithini and Busabazi Zwelithini, said, “Mantfombi is of the Eswathini race, so Mizuzulu cannot be accepted as 100 percent Zulu. So he should not be the king.”
“Simakade was the eldest son of the king. Therefore, one side argued that he should be the king, and the other side argued that ‘Busapasi, who was very close to the king, could be the next king’. The royal family split into three as supporters of Mantfombi countered that “Mizujulu, who has the strongest support in the royal family, should be the king.” The matter became so serious that the South African government intervened. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said, “I recognize Mizuzulu as the new king as stated in the will.” Mbonisi, another son of the king who opposed this, appealed to the High Court, and the judgment came in favor of Mizuzulu.
Subsequently, on August 20, Misujulu was crowned as the new king of the Zulu race in front of his family. Some of Misujulu’s sisters filed an urgent petition in court seeking to stop the tumultuous ceremony. It said, “father’s will is forged”. That petition was also dismissed. On September 24, South Africa’s “Heritage Day”, Mizujulu will be crowned in public. Within the festival, family feuds are expected to subside.
When there is competition and conflict for power in democratic countries, there is nothing surprising in the power struggles in the Zulu ethnic group, which is hundreds of years old!