After several failed court bids to block the coronation of King Misuzulu kaZwelithini as the new Zulu monarch, his opponents defied President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday by installing Prince Simakade Zulu kaZwelithini as the late King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu’s successor.
Some members of the royal family held a ritual, known as ukungena esibayeni (entering the kraal), at Enyokeni royal palace that put Prince Simakade on the throne — a week before King Misuzulu’s official coronation.
King Misuzulu is expected to perform the same ritual before his coronation on August 20.
The throne became vacant a year ago after the death of King Zwelithini.
Prince Mandlakapheli Zulu of Engudwini told the Sunday Times that they followed due process and came together to support Prince Simakade.
Prince Simakade is King Zwelithini’s oldest living son. He is from the KwaKhangelamankengane palace.
Prince Mandlakapheli said no-one “becomes king without being the heir in the family because one becomes the king of the nation at the behest of the family”.
On Saturday, the family held two ceremonies before the last stage of the process that would certify Prince Simakade as Zulu king.
The first was a ritual to separate amabutho from the late king’s spirit — amabutho belongs to the late king until the ceremony has taken place. The second was the cleansing of the throne before a new king sits.
However, the most significant, according to Prince Mandlakapheli, is the entering of the kraal (traditional coronation).
“There is a sacred royal praise of bayede, you cannot utter or give that praise to anybody before they enter the kraal because what happens according to [our] culture is we can only call him the king … after that ceremony and that has to be done by the family,” he said.
He further explained why the ceremony was being held at Enyokeni royal palace.
There is a sacred royal praise of bayede, you cannot utter or give that praise to anybody before they enter the kraal because what happens according to [our] culture is we can only call him the king
“The kraal of Enyokeni is our only sacred place where we perform all the rituals of the nation — everything that is sacred … is here. There are many palaces but our temple … is here at Enyokeni, hence the entering of the kraal can only take place here.”
Ramaphosa recognised King Misuzulu this year as the monarch, but Prince Mandlakapheli said the family were not concerned about parallelism.
“You could be gazetted, but the responsibility of who should ascend to the throne lies with the royal family — we are fulfilling that.
“What we are doing is the work that we have to perform as the royal family and we are following royal protocol, we have written the application for recognition,” he said.
Prince Mandlakapheli said the process that produced Prince Simakade’s name was one of consultation among the family, according to royal protocol.
“The core royal family — which are the queens, the siblings of the king and all the royal houses — are the people who affirm the name of the one person.”
King Zwelithini left a last will and testament naming his wife Queen Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu as regent. She died in April and her will left the throne to their eldest son, King Misuzulu, but other members of the royal family have questioned the authenticity of the late king’s will and are seeking a court interdict to halt King Misuzulu’s coronation.
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