King Misuzulu KaZwelithini has appointed Thulasizwe Buthelezi of the IFP to fill the post of traditional prime minister that has been vacant since Mangosuthu Buthelezi died in September last year.
Inkosi Phathisizwe Chiliza, the former chair of the KwaZulu-Natal house of traditional leaders, has been appointed deputy prime minister. Thulasizwe Buthelezi is the mayor of the Zululand district municipality, an IFP stronghold.
The announcement was made at an event commemorating the battle of Isandlwana in 1879.
The king’s announcement comes ahead of an application in the Pietermaritzburg high court by his uncles, who want to interdict the king from appointing a new prime minister.
The king’s own status as rightful Zulu monarch is also being challenged.
This week, judge Norman Davis granted President Cyril Ramaphosa leave to appeal a December 2023 ruling declaring King Misuzulu’s recognition by the state as unlawful and invalid.
Davis ruled last month that Ramaphosa, in officially recognising King Misuzulu, had failed to follow due process in terms of the Traditional & Khoi-San Leadership Act by failing to appoint an inquiry into the succession dispute within the Zuly royal family.
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