From a distance it is easy to dismiss security concerns around King Misuzulu kaZwelithini as paranoia.
But a closer look at the number of his confidants that have been killed in the last year shows that the king may be in grave danger of being next in line.
His Majesty is normally guarded by a lower rank of officers from the SAPS, but a recent security assessment has assigned members of the Presidential Protection Unit to guard the king.
This week’s report of a possible attempt at poisoning him reveals a potential repeat of the murderous acts that have already claimed the lives of a king and a queen.
Fear of poisoning has haunted the Zulu royal family for almost 60 years.
In the direct lineage of the current king, his grandfather King Cyprian Bhekuzulu, the father of King Goodwill Zwelithini, died in 1968 after an illness which was later declared to be caused by poison.
Bhekuzulu, who was known to enjoy traditional beer, is said to have been murdered through his favourite drink.
Years later, Misuzulu’s mother, Queen Regent Mantfombi Dlamini, lived with the after effects of poison for over five years before her death in 2021.
She was in and out of hospitals in South Africa and in eSwatini, where she was born as a sister to then reigning King Makhosetive Mswati III.
Unlike King Zwelithini’s other wives, Queen Mantfombi’s lobola of over 300 cattle was paid by Amakhosi of the Zulu kingdom, making her the wife who would give birth to a future king.
The other difference was that she would come from a respected royal family. She was the daughter of King Sobhuza of eSwatini.
It is not clear why she was poisoned but it cannot be disputed that she was ordained to be the mother of a future king.
The poisonous hand with access to the highest echelons of the Zulu royal family struck again last week, with the killing of Induna Jika Douglas Xaba – a close confidant of Misuzulu.
Xaba, who grew up with the king and served as his right-hand man, fell ill and passed away unexpectedly, sparking fears that the king may not be safe.
Xaba has been a guest at the king’s table on numerous occasions and has been served from the same pot many times before.
When His Majesty fell ill while Xaba was still fighting for his life, the king knew he needed an urgent medical check-up.
He was rushed to eSwatini after attending a session of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature in Pietermaritzburg with his wife, Queen Ntokozo kaMayisela, last week.
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the traditional prime minister to the Zulu nation, told the media that he was informed by King Mswati III’s sister, Vumile, that King Misuzulu had been hospitalised due to food poisoning.
However, Misuzulu’s spokesperson, Prince Afrika, denied these reports saying the king had been due for a regular check-up.
While the king’s condition remains uncertain, efforts are being made by the royal family to liaise with the Xaba family and decide on a funeral date for the induna.
Poison has not been the only weapon used to kill people around Misuzulu, as several of his senior advisors have been attacked and killed in various hits in Zululand.
The killings started in September 2022 when advisor Dr Dumisani Khumalo was gunned down outside his home in oSuthu village, while returning from Umkhosi Womhlanga (a Zulu reed dance) in Nongoma.
Then followed an attack on Prince Phiwa Zulu; he was killed two months later.
In the months that followed, at least three other lower-ranked Izindunas who were known to support Misuzulu’s ascendance to the throne were also killed.