“This is a historic day for the Zulu Nation”trumpet the news site IOL. King Misuzulu Zulu, son of the late Goodwill Zwelithini – who died of Covid-19 on March 12, 2021, after 50 years of rule – fulfilled on Saturday “the ritual of entering the kraal [enclos à bétail] royal and sacred” of Nongoma Palace in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal.
“This means that he has now completed all the rituals to take the throne in his own right”, specifies the site. Misuzulu had already entered the kraal in the night from Friday to Saturday, out of sight, but tradition requires that he repeat the operation publicly in front of his people.
“From dawn, men and women dressed in traditional costumes began to gather around the Marble Palace” of Nongoma, tells the German wave. Before “rows of Zulu warriors known as Amabutho”the women “sang and danced for hours”waiting to see the new king appear, when he leaves the kraal.
lion hunting
The coronation rituals had begun as early as Thursday evening with a lion hunt, reports the Mail and Guardian. “Friday morning, videos circulated on social media, showing the monarch, accompanied by warriors, returning from a royal hunt with the remains of a lion, killed the previous night for the needs of the ceremony”writes the daily.
The Daily Sun interviewed cultural expert Gugu Mazibuko, who emphasizes the symbolic importance of lion hunting and entering the kraal: the king “is always qualified as ingosyama or isilo [“ lion” ou “bête”, en langue zouloue]. That is why he must kill a lion and come back with it, as a symbol of his power and greatness”he explains. “As for entering the kraal, it is very important because it is there that the king is presented to the elders and the ancestors of the nation”.
The local population was not the only ones who came en masse to “to pledge allegiance to the new king”observe The Citizen. “Political personalities and representatives of royalty from all over the African continent” were also present in Nongoma, including the royal family of Eswatini [anciennement Swaziland]to which Misuzulu Zulu’s mother belonged.
The coronation has yet to be formalized by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa – who has already acknowledged the legitimacy of the new ruler – at an official ceremony whose date has not been set, but which could be held in September in Durban , according to the local press.
Financial benefits
The throne of the Zulu Nation “has no formal political power, but a fifth of South Africa’s population is Zulu and its monarchy has enormous influence”notice the BBC. The king also enjoys significant financial advantages: the crown notably receives from South African taxpayers an annual envelope of 4.2 million euros for the management of the kingdom. The king also inherited a territory the size of Belgium, managed by a trust of which he was the sole administrator.
The throne is therefore the object of covetousness, and the succession of Goodwill Zwelithini has sown discord within the royal family. “The coronation follows several judicial – and extrajudicial – dramas and intrigues involving members of a deeply divided royal family”deplores the Daily Maverick.
At his death, Goodwill Zwelithini had six wives and numerous children, several of whom felt they could claim the throne. But in his will he had given preference to his third wife – on the grounds that she was his only wife of royal blood – and their eldest son Misuzulu.
“Deplorable picture”
The palace squabbles even resulted in the coronation last week of a half-brother from Misuzulu, recognized by only a handful of supporters. And again on Saturday, an appeal was presented – without success – to the courts to prevent the accession to power of the designated heir.
For Zakhele Ndlovu, a political analyst at the University of KwaZulu-Natal interviewed by the Daily Maverick, “The fact that the courts have had to rule on the identity of the next Zulu King paints a deplorable picture of the Royal Family and the Zulu Nation as a whole”.
“They should have had a clear succession plan, like the Windsor family, where it is known that when Elizabeth dies, Prince Charles will take the reins, and Prince William after him”, he continues. But “the Zulu family washed their dirty laundry in public”.
Emerging from the kraal, armed with a spear and shield, and dressed in a costume of black feathers, Misuzulu Zulu delivered his first speech as ruler. He promised to “to work to unite” the Zulu Nation, according to the site News24. “After today’s events, we must seek unity, not divisions”he hammered.