NONGOMA, South Africa — Thousands of people
gathered at the
Zulu royal palace in South Africa Saturday to witness the
crowning of a new king in the country’s richest and most influential
traditional monarchy.
اضافة اعلان
Misuzulu Zulu, 47, ascended to the throne once held
by his late father, Goodwill Zwelithini, during traditional ceremonies that
were partially overshadowed by a bitter succession dispute.
“Today the Zulu nation starts a new chapter,” the
new sovereign told well-wishers speaking from a podium in a large white
marquee, wearing a traditional leopard skin and a necklace of predator claws.
“I promise I will work to unite the Zulu nation.”
Although the title of king does not bestow executive
power, the monarchs wield great moral influence over more than 11 million
Zulus, who make up nearly a fifth of South Africa’s population.
From early morning, men and women in colorful
traditional outfits started to assemble outside the marble palace on the hills
of Nongoma — a small town in the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, the
Zulu heartland — to honor the new monarch.
“It’s a great day, we are making history,” Bongani
Khumalo, 80, who is part of the regiments of warriors in charge of protecting
the king, told AFP.
Amid the festivities, however, an acrimonious family
dispute over the throne raged.
As celebrations got underway, an eleventh-hour legal
appeal from a branch of the royal family to block all ceremonies was struck
down by a court, local media reported.
Coronation rites
In Nongoma, lines of Zulu
warriors, known as amaButhos and holding spears and shields of animal skin,
marched into the palace grounds.
For hours they enacted war dances under the warm
winter sun waiting for the king to appear.
Earlier on Friday night, Misuzulu had entered the
palace’s “cattle kraal” where he took part in a secret rite designed to present
the new monarch to his ancestors.
During the day, women — some bare-chested, others in
pleated skirts and beaded belts or draped with fabrics bearing the effigy of
the sovereign — sang and danced.
Royal minstrels sang the praises of the new king and
told the story of his legendary ancestors.
Suddenly, the king emerged before the crowd wearing
a costume of black feathers cinched at the waist by a belt, a spear and holding
a shield.
He joined a line of warriors who swore loyalty to
their new leader.
“We have our king!” shouted Sinenhlanhla Msweli, a
29-year-old in attendance.
Family dispute
Zulu kings are descendants
of King Shaka, the 19th-century leader still revered for having united a large
swathe of the country as the Zulu nation, which fought bloody battles against
the British colonizers.
The new monarch’s first name means “strengthening
the Zulus” but his path to the crown has not been smooth.
King Zwelithini who died in March last year after 50
years in charge, left six wives and at least 28 children.
Misuzulu is the first son of Zwelithini’s third
wife, who he designated as regent in his will.
But the queen died
suddenly a month later, leaving a will naming Misuzulu as the next king — a
development that did not go down well with other branches of the family.
Queen Sibongile Dlamini, the late king’s first wife,
has backed her son Prince Simakade Zulu as the rightful heir.
Some of the late king’s brothers have put forward a
third prince as their candidate for the throne.
Queen Sibongile’s legal bid to challenge the
succession was revived Friday as she was granted the right to appeal a previous
unfavorable ruling.
But on Saturday a Pietermaritzburg court struck down
an urgent motion by two of her daughters to stop all rituals.
“Those who are Zulu and know the traditions, know
who is the king,” said Themba Fakazi, an adviser to the previous ruler who
supports Misuzulu.
The next Zulu monarch will inherit a fortune and tap
into a rich stream of income.
Zwelithini received some 71 million rand ($4.2
million) a year from the government and owned several palaces and other
properties.
A royal trust manages almost 3 million hectares of
land — an area about the size of Belgium.
President
Cyril Ramaphosa, who in March recognized Misuzulu
as the rightful king, is to formally certify the crowning at a ceremony in the
coming months.
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