fbpx

Things You Need to Know About Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini

Things You Need to Know About Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini

2 of 12

In bad times, people often look for someone to blame. Recent remarks by Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu are being blamed as contributing to South Africa’s recent spread of xenophobic attacks. Who is the Zulu King and how much influence does he have? Here are some things you need to know about Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu.

Sources: eNCA, TimesLive,  BBC, Wikipedia

Zulu King Zwelithini Goodwill with his bride, Princess Mantfombi, in 1978  Photo: Volkmar Wentzel/National Geographic
Zulu King Zwelithini Goodwill with his bride, Princess Mantfombi, in 1978
Photo: Volkmar Wentzel/National Geographic

His kingship is constitutionally guarnateed

Born July 14, 1948, Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu is the reigning king of the Zulu nation under the Traditional Leadership clause of South Africa’s republican constitution.

His father, King Cyprian Bhekuzulu kaSolomon, was king before him, and died in 1968.

After his first marriage, Zwelithini, then 21, became the eighth king of the Zulus at a traditional ceremony at Nongoma on Dec. 3, 1971, attended by 20,000 people.

Photo Tebogo Letsie/TimesLive
Photo Tebogo Letsie/TimesLive

ANC and Inkathta haven’t always agreed

The Zulu-dominated Inkatha Freedom Party at first opposed parts of the new constitution advocated by the African National Congress regarding the internal governance of KwaZulu-Natal. In particular, the IFP campaigned aggressively for an autonomous and sovereign Zulu king as constitutional head of state.

In opposition to the new constitution, Inkatha did not register its party for the 1994 election with the goal of stopping the election. When it became obvious that the election would go on anyway, the party was registered. It demonstrated its political strength by taking the majority of the provincial votes for KwaZulu-Natal.

Zulu traditional dress Getty
Zulu traditional dress Getty

Largest ethnic group in South Africa

There are 12.1 million Zulus living in seven countries, mainly in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The dominant religion is Christianity. Zulus are the largest ethnic group in South Africa, with small populations in Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Botswana, Malawi, Lesotho, and Mozambique. Zulu is a Bantu language.

Source: TheJoshuaProject. wiki

Drakensberg National Park Photo: nature-reserve.co.za
Drakensberg National Park
Photo: nature-reserve.co.za

The material benefit of the Zulu nation is in the king’s trust

The King is chairman of the Ingonyama Trust, a corporate entity established to administer the land traditionally owned by the king for the benefit, material welfare and social well-being of the Zulu nation. This land consists of 32 percent of the area of KwaZulu-Natal.

Zulu King Zwelithini Photo: IngonyamaTrust.org
Zulu King Zwelithini Photo: IngonyamaTrust.org

Who controls his money?

The King’s finances are controlled byKwaZulu-Natal provincial authorities. Although the constitution makes the king’s role mostly ceremonial, he is supposed to act on the official advice of the provincial premier, and on occasion the South African president.

Zulu King Zwelithini reed dance  Photo: iol.co.za
Zulu King Zwelithini reed dance
Photo: iol.co.za

What does he promote or protect?

The king is the custodian of Zulu traditions and customs. He has been credited with reviving cultural ceremonies such as the Umhlanga, a symbolic reed dance ceremony that promotes moral awareness and AIDS education among Zulu women, and the Ukweshwama, a traditional ceremony of the first fruits which involves rituals such as killing a bull. He has traveled extensively promoting tourism and trade in the West for KwaZulu-Natal, and fundraising for Zulu-supported charities, often accompanied by one of his queens.

 Zola Zelusiwe kaMafu, the king’s consort, was 17 when she was selected to become the king’s wife. Photo zuluandobserver.co.za
Zola Zelusiwe kaMafu, the king’s consort, was 17 when she was selected to become the king’s wife. Photo zuluandobserver.co.za

His wives and children

In the past 45 years, King Goodwill Zwelithini has married at least five wives and fathered at least 28 children, according to a 2014 report in ENCA.

He married his first wife Queen Sibongile Dlamini in 1969, two years nbefore becoming king. They have five children.

In 1974 he married Queen Buthle MaMathe, his second wife. They have eight children.

Queen Mantfombi Dlamini, wife No. 3, is the sister of Swaziland’s King Mswati III. They married in 1977 and have eight children. Their son Prince Misuzulu is considered a contender to succeed the king.

He married wife No. 4, Queen Thandekile Ndlovu, in 1988. They have three children.

Wife No. 5 is Queen Nompumelelo Mchiza. They have three children.

Zola Zelusiwe kaMafu, the king’s consort, was 17 when she was selected to become the king’s wife. In 2005, she gave birth to Prince Nhlendla, ENCA reported in 2014.

Source: eNCA,

Photo: IndependentOnline
Photo: IndependentOnline

Lost in translation?

He claims to have been mistranslated before the xenophobia remarks

In January, 2012, while speaking at an event commemorating the 133rd anniversary of the Battle of Isandlwana, the King made controversial statements about same-sex relationships, saying they were “rotten.” South African Human Rights Commission and LGBT groups and President Jacob Zuma condemned the remarks.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in South Africa since 2006.

Later the king reneged, saying he had been mistranslated and that he had not condemned same-sex relationships. What he objected to was a state of moral decay in South Africa that he said has led to widespread sexual abuse, including male-on-male sexual abuse.

Source: TimesLive,

Photo: IBTimes Reuters
Photo: IBTimes Reuters

Lavish spending

The king has faced criticism and scrutiny over his family’s lavish lifestyle.

Each wife has her own royal home and it costs taxpayers more than 63 million rand ($5.2 million US) per year to maintain the royal households.

In September 2012, King Goodwill Zwelithini asked the KwaZulu-Natal government for 18 million rand ($1.48 million US) to build new property including a new 6-million-rand palace for his youngest wife, Queen Mafu, and upgrades to Queen MaMchiza’s palace. The King’s royal household department CFO, Mduduzi Mthembu, told a parliamentary committee that the money was needed. The department also requested USD $1.4 million for improvements to Queen MaMchiza’s palace. The government had already budgeted around USD $6.9 million for the royal family during 2012. In 2008, opposition parties criticised King Zwelithini’s wives for spending around USD $24,000 on linen, designer clothes and expensive holidays.[11]

Sources: eNCA, TimesLive, BBC

Photo: NehandaRadio
Photo: NehandaRadio

What he did and didn’t say about xenophobia

Speaking at a Pongolo community meeting in March 2015, Zwelithini acknowledged that other countries had helped liberate South Africa, but that was no excuse for foreigners to compete with locals for scarce resources.

“Most government leaders do not want to speak out on this matter because they are scared of losing votes,” he said, according to a NehandaRadio report. “As the king of the Zulu nation, I cannot tolerate a situation where we are being led by leaders with no views whatsoever. We are requesting those who come from outside to please go back to their countries.”

His comments coincided with growing animosity between South Africans and non-South Africans. Violence had erupted in Soweto in January. The opposition party Democratic Alliance called for a public retraction and apology, saying the remarks were irresponsible.

Later the king said he was only referring to to those present in South Africa illegally.

Sources: NehandaRadio,

tvsa.co.za
Shaka Image: tvsa.co.za

His lineage

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini is the latest in a line of royal Zulu kings that included Shaka, who lived from 1787 to 1828. According to Nguni legend — mostly handed down by oral tradition — Mnguni was the founder of the Nguni nation in Southern Africa. He is said to have come from the northeast about 1000 years ago. His ancestors are thought to be a nomadic group of Egyptian and white mix. The genes of modern Zulus have been found to have commonalities with Jewish genes.

Reporting in a 2011 issue of PLoS Genetics, researchers found that modern-day Jews can attribute about 3-to-5 percent of their ancestry to sub-Saharan Africans, and that the exchange of genes between Jews and sub-Saharan Africans happened about 2,000 years — 72 generations — ago, Forward.com reports. These are based on genome-wide analyses that trace the history of the Jewish people through DNA.

Zulus are a sub nation in the Nguni nation. Mnguni’s name derives from the word Nguni, the name for the majority ethnicity in South Africa. It includes Zulus, Swazis, Ndebeles, and Xhosas. Mnguni was considered the king of the unified (pre-Zulu, pre-Xhosa, pre-Swazi, and pre-Ndebele) Nguni nation in South Africa.

Sources: Forward.com, wiki

Zulu traditional dress Getty
Zulu traditional dress Getty

Largest ethnic group in South Africa

There are 12.1 million Zulus living in seven countries, mainly in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The dominant religion is Christianity. Zulus are the largest ethnic group in South Africa, with small populations in Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Botswana, Malawi, Lesotho, and Mozambique. Zulu is a Bantu language.

Sources: TheJoshuaProject