In South Africa, the Zulu nation, the largest ethnic group in the country, should see its new king be enthroned this Saturday, August 20. The death last year of the previous monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini, and then that of the Queen Regent, one of his six wives, a few weeks later, caused a period of hesitation, during which the family royal is torn apart. It is finally the son of the queen regent, Misuzulu Zulu, who must be crowned.
With our correspondent in South Africa, Claire Bargeles
A traditional ceremony is to take place shortly, in the royal palace of Nongoma, in the east of the country. Misuzulu Zulu must enter the kraal, a pen where cattle are kept, one of the most sacred places for the royal family. This step is one of the essential customs for the pretender to the throne to become king, as he is then presented to the ancestors of the clan. Misuzulu Zulu will wear the lion skin he himself hunted on Thursday August 18th.
Quarrels
But the royal family has not finished with its quarrels: a similar ceremony was organized last week for another prince, by a dissident branch. Not to mention that a brother of the former monarch has this week unveiled a third pretender to the throne.
moral figure
Without executive power, the sovereign remains a moral figure for the approximately eleven million Zulus who populate South Africa. It also has the role of administering the structure that manages part of the land in the region. Cyril Ramaphosa has officially recognized Misuzulu Zulu as the legitimate future king, and an official ceremony in his presence should be organized soon, in Durban, to perhaps finally put an end to the disputes.
►Also read : South Africa: death of Goodwill Zwelithini, the influential king of the Zulu nation (March 12, 2021)