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Kwanongoma (South Africa), Aug. 21 (AP) The new king of South Africa’s Zulu nation, Misuzulu kaZwelithini, is in front of hundreds of supporters in rural KwaZulu-Natal province on Saturday, Aug. 21. enthroned at the ceremony.
In his first public comments on the issue, the king dismissed those who questioned his right to the throne.
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He was crowned the traditional leader of the Zulu nation, although some royals questioned his right to succeed his late father, Prince Zvelitini.
Some family members prefer one older brother, while another group supports the other.
The late king had six wives and several sons. After the king’s death last year, Misuruka Zwelithini’s mother served as regent for only a month before her death, but in her will she named her son as the next king. This is considered by many to be the most powerful claim to the Zulu throne.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has recognized Misuru Kazvelitini as the rightful heir to the Zulu throne. Ramaphosa will present him with an official certificate at a ceremony later this year declaring him king of the Zulu.
Misuzulu kaZwelithini addressed some 1,000 supporters after undergoing a traditional ceremony known as the ukungena esibayeni (entry into the royal bullpen) to mark the start of his reign as king.
“I know you have some knowledge of what’s going on with the royal family lately. I demand that whatever you hear in the media and the comments made by those arguing about the throne, you should hear it, but you shouldn’t listen to them,” Mi said. Sulu Kazvelitini said.
He called on the Zulu nation to be united and thanked Ramaphosa for his support.
The ceremonies and celebrations are colorful displays of Zulu culture, with hundreds of people in traditional dress.
Women in beads, skirts and hats sing Zulu hymns and slogans as they await the arrival of the new king.
Cheers were in the air as Misuru Kazvelitini entered the palace’s main paddock, where he was given a sharp gilded scepter and a message of congratulations from the Zulu elders.
Wielding traditional shields, spears and clubs and chanting slogans, hundreds of male Zulu warriors known as amabutho stepped into the royal palace to swear allegiance to the new leader.
Throughout the day, the men slaughtered about 50 cows, while the women cooked meat and other foods and brewed traditional sorghum beer for the celebratory feast.
Widely seen as the inauguration or coronation of the new king, the event was also attended by traditional leaders from other South African ethnic groups as well as representatives of other peoples of Zulu origin, including from Zambia and Malawi community.
The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group in South Africa, with a population of more than 12 million, mainly in KwaZulu-Natal.
They were known for their strong resistance to British colonialism under King Shaka Zulu in the early 1800s.
As the leader of the Zulu Nation who control some 10,810 square miles of land in KwaZulu-Natal, the King is arguably South Africa’s most influential traditional leader. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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