By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa maintains his decision to appoint King Misuzulu kaZwelithini as the Zulu king is valid and rational.
Ramaphosa is cited as one of respondents in the case brought by Prince Simakade, who wants to dethrone his half-brother.
Simakade is the late King Zwelithini’s eldest son.
He argued in court that the nomination and selection process of the king had to be properly followed and that he wanted Ramaphosa’s decision to be reviewed and set aside.
Simakade wants the meeting convened by the late Prince Mangosotho Buthelezi, during which Misuzulu was identified as the heir to the throne, to be reviewed and set aside.
He also wants the coronation and recognition of Misuzulu to be reviewed and set aside.
On Monday Amabuthu and maidens descended to court to support King Misizulu.
The High Court in Pretoria heard how President Cyril Ramaphosa cannot be trusted to act impartially in the protracted battle over who is the rightful heir to succeed the late King Zwelithini as Zulu king.
The Zulu nation is the largest ethnic group in South Africa with an estimated 12 million Zulu-speaking people, predominantly in the KwaZulu-Natal region.
They are acknowledged for resisting British colonialism in the early 1800s and the Zulu king is arguably the most influential traditional leader in South Africa.
Misuzulu ascended to the throne last year after the 2021 death of his father, King Goodwill Zwelithini, who ruled for over 50 years, making him the longest reigning Zulu monarch.
He is the oldest son of King Zwelithini and Queen Mantfombi of the royal house of eSwatini. The late king had six wives and several sons. After the king died last year, Misuzulu’s mother served as the regent for just a month before she died, but in her will she named her son to be the next king.
Ramaphosa’s decision to grant a certificate of recognition to reigning Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini is valid, the president’s lawyer, Advocate Marumo Moerane, said on Tuesday.
Moerane said there was no appeal against KwaZulu-Natal deputy judge president Isaac Madondo, who dismissed three applications by Princess Ntombizosuthu Zulu-Duma, Princess Ntandoyenkosi Zulu and Prince Mbonisi Zulu to block Misuzulu from ascending the throne.
Moerane said Ramaphosa’s decision was informed by that judgement, and the presentation made by the late Zulu prime minister Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
“We submit that both prayers of the princesses and the prince to interdict the president from issuing a certificate of recognition to King Misuzulu be dismissed.”
“In reference to Prince Buthelezi, the applicants say the president should not rely on his submission. Justice Madondo, however, found that Prince Buthelezi is the only person authorised to convene royal meetings and no one has done that before. We submit that the president’s reliance on the judgement is valid,” said Moerane.
He said the president was entitled to rely on Buthelezi’s submission by virtue of his knowledge of the Zulu tradition and processes of anointing a king.
The president maintained that he acted and took the decision within the ambit of the requirements of the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act.
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