Durban — King Misuzulu has vowed to crush dissidents within his kingdom who continue to undermine his authority as the only recognised king in the province.
Reacting to a meeting that was held in Ulundi by certain amakhosi and certain royal family members on Monday, the king has threatened to strip the royal family members of their prince and princess titles if they continue to undermine his rule. The king also warned amakhosi who associate themselves with the people who question his authority that they would be disciplined and removed from their chieftaincy positions.
In a statement issued by the king’s office through the office of his spokesperson, His Royal Highness Prince Africa, the monarch distanced himself from the meeting, describing it as a rebellion. The prince said the monarch took note of the continuous attempts at interfering in the affairs of the Zulu Royal House, and urged all members of the royal family to take note that this meeting was not sanctioned by the king. He added that the decision of certain royal family members and those of certain political parties to participate in this meeting was in direct contravention of the king’s advice and signalled a rebellion against the commands of the king.
“We are concerned about reports that one of the former officials of the king’s office has been observed to be hosting social gatherings that claim the existence of a phantom king. Since these individuals have decided to continue in these activities, the king wishes to inform the nation that royal disciplinary proceedings will be instituted through the Prince Gibson Royal Court Panel of Inquiry. We caution all citizens of His Majesty’s realm not to associate themselves with this anarchy, but to remain cautious and vigilant against this political ploy to discredit His Majesty’s reign. We will continue assessing the situation and keep the nation informed about the details of these proceedings. Again, we wish to stress that the Zulu monarchy is above party politics,” read the statement.
The prince went further and said the king’s patience was running out with the people who continued to undermine his authority, adding that those royal family members who continue to disobey his rule would soon regret since their titles depended on the king. The prince said amakhosi who also defied the king’s rule would be disciplined as per the act of number 5 of the KwaZulu-Natal Traditional leadership framework, which was passed in 2005.
“Although we were born with titles of princes and princesses, the reigning king has the authority to strip us of these titles if we abuse our privileges. So the king wishes to caution those royal family members to safeguard their privileges by behaving in accordance with the royal family members,” said the prince.
Furthermore, he said the king’s office was busy drafting an oath of allegiance to be signed by all stakeholders, adding that those who refused to sign would be treated as amambuka (traitors). The prince said the signing of the oath would determine who was with the king or not, adding that the time had come to put the cat among the pigeons. He said the king took exception to people who, even after he had been officially recognised by the constitutional government as a king, continued to refer to him as Prince Misuzulu. He argued that these people were not only undermining him, but also the democratically elected government and its laws.
“If even you are legally challenging the king’s ascension to the throne, that does not mean he is not your king since he was recognised as such by the constitutional government. It is very strange that there are people who are undermining the king’s constitutional right to appoint the Ingonyama Trust Board chairperson of his choice.
Prince Thulani confirmed that the meeting did take place but denied that they were undermining the king’s authority. He said the king’s statements showed that he did not know the importance of the committe,e which he said comprised royal house heads and amakhosi.
The prince described the committee as the protectors of the crown, and said that as old people they did not need permission from anybody to hold their own meetings. He said the committee of princes, princesses and amakhosi was formed after the meeting of amakhosi that was addressed by the king’s prime minister, Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi, in Empangeni recently, adding that the committee would discuss matters in relation to the Ingonyama Trust Board, which it discussed on Monday.
“Our meeting focused on the non-response to our request to meet so that we could introduce ourselves to him and we knew he would understand what we stand for. I and the committee recognise the king,” said Prince Thulani.
On the threat of being stripped of their birth titles as princes and princesses, he said he would not comment on that because the king was referring to his powers and he would not want to argue with him on that.
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