Zulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini and his prime minister, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, released conflicting statements over the health and whereabouts of the king this weekend. Their relationship, according to one political analyst, is at a point of no return.
The relationship between Zulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini and his supposed prime minister, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, has broken down to irreparable levels after the release of conflicting statements over the health and whereabouts of the king.
The latest skirmish between the two most powerful figures in the Zulu succession debate began on Saturday afternoon when Buthelezi, in his capacity as amaZulu prime minister, released a press statement in which he said the king was being treated in a hospital in Eswatini after an apparent “poisoning”.
Buthelezi said the king was uncomfortable seeking medical attention in South Africa because other members of his family – including his father, King Goodwill Zwelithini, who died on 12 March 2021, and his mother, Queen Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu, who died on 29 April 2021 – had died after receiving healthcare treatment in the country.
Buthelezi said the king felt unwell after one of his izinduna (traditional leaders) died mysteriously.
“While His Majesty recently appointed Prince Africa Zulu as head of communication and stakeholder relations in his office, I, as the traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and Nation have an obligation to inform the nation of this worrying situation,” Buthelezi said in his statement.
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