How royal divorce papers have shaken the Zulu kingdom

The love life of South Africa’s Zulu king has the country breathless – and has scandalised his socially conservative subjects as he messes with tradition by seeking a divorce.

Polygamy is part of Zulu culture, but King Misuzulu kaZwelithini (50) has taken the unusual step of going to court to divorce his first wife, Queen Ntokozo kaMayisela.

“Everyone was puzzled. People were not expecting the king to go so far as to file for divorce,” Gugu Mazibuko, a cultural expert at South Africa’s University of Johannesburg, tells the BBC.

“In Zulu culture, there is no divorce. You are not supposed to chase away your wife,” she says.

‘POLYGAMY IS SUCCESS’

Regarded as the “lion of the nation”, the Zulu king is the custodian of age-old traditions that place marriage and polygamy at the heart of royal success.

His role within South Africa may only be ceremonial, but he remains hugely influential, with a yearly government-funded budget of several million dollars.

The monarch – who grew up in neighbouring Eswatini, studied in the United States (US) and came to the throne in 2021 – seems to court controversy.

His coronation was challenged in court by his elder half-brother, who has been trying to snatch the crown from him.

His second marriage appears to be shaky, his attempt to take a third wife hit the buffers, and there are also reports of another dalliance with a young princess.

However, the king’s troubled personal life used to be discussed in hushed tones – that is until he filed divorce papers in December.

‘NOT THE NORM’

Mazibuko acknowledges that historical records appeared to suggest that a Zulu monarch in the 20th century had divorced one of his queens, but it had been a “top royal secret”, given royal divorce is not the norm.

“If a marriage does not work out, the wife will still live in the king’s homestead. She will be given her own space.

She will not have a relationship with the king, but she and her children will be well-cared for.”

It was just before his accession to the throne – following the sudden death of his father and mother four years ago – that the then-Prince Misuzulu married Ntokozo Mayisela.

The two were already a couple and had two children together, but according to another cultural expert, Musa Xulu of the University of Zululand, the decision to marry appeared be be hurried.

“It seems as though he felt he could not be a king without a wife,” he says.

Queen kaMayisela came from an ‘ordinary family’ – as many of the wives of Zulu kings do – in a small mining town in KwaZulu-Natal province.

THE PRINCE AND THE CABARET SINGER

It was as a cabaret singer performing at a restaurant in the coastal city of Durban that she caught the royal eye, the academic says.

Her senior status in the family was made clear at the king’s state coronation in December 2022 when she sat by his side.

But her position is now under threat, with the monarch saying in court papers they have not lived as husband and wife for at least a year and their marriage has irretrievably broken down.

The palace followed this by sending out invitations for the king’s wedding to a new bride, Nomzamo Myeni, set to take place in late January.
The bride price, known as lobola, had already been paid in cattle – a prized asset in Zulu culture.

Queen kaMayisela did not take any of this lying down, instituting separate court action to halt the wedding, which was postponed as a result.

Her argument was that the king – known to his subjects as ingonyama, meaning ‘lion’ – would be committing the offence of bigamy without first converting his civil marriage to her into a traditional Zulu marriage.

But the judge threw out her case, saying she had had a “turnaround” in attitude as she had already agreed her husband could take other wives.

He notes the monarch had already done so – marrying Nozizwe kaMulela, the managing director of Eswatini Bank, in 2022.

Mazibuko explains that polygamy was not initially part of Zulu culture, in fact the first two kings were bachelors.

But it was embraced by their successors – King Misuzulu is the ninth monarch of the Zulu nation – and has become part of Zulu culture.

‘HOW WE BUILD FAMILIES’

“That’s how we build families, especially the royal family,” Mazibuko says.

Queen kaMulela comes from an influential family in Eswatini, and the marriage was apparently arranged to strengthen the ties between the royal families.

Yet it is unclear whether the pair are still in a relationship, as the high-powered banker has not been spotted at Zulu cultural events for a while – with speculation their final marriage rituals have not been completed.

The current king’s various marriage problems seem to stem from the fact that tradition has not been properly followed.

In the case of the first wife, he opted for a modern-day marriage, without a traditional wedding.

“For a marriage to be perfected under Zulu custom, there has to be a public gathering, with song and dance,” Xulu says.

“You, as the bride, must lead with a solo song, and the bridesmaids dance with you, and you carry a spear which you give to the king – and then there is no going back.”

‘NOT READY TO BE KING’

The aide suggests the new bride might be named “the mother of the nation” – a title that would make her the most senior queen with her children likely heirs.

Xulu says he would not be surprised if that wedding also failed to take place, as the king’s relationships all seemed to run into trouble.
“I am not sure whether he was ready to be king, and whether he has good advisers,” the academic said.

He says the monarch had also been behaving erratically in his public life, sacking several senior officials in his entourage.

On top of this, he has installed himself as the chairman of the board of a financially lucrative land trust, of which he is the sole trustee.

The trust was controversially established shortly before South Africa became a democracy in 1994, giving it control of about 2.8 million hectares (seven million acres) of land in KwaZulu-Natal.

King Misuzulu has also suspended all members of the board, bar one, accusing them of being uncooperative.

He did this against the advice of the government, which pointed out that as chairman he would be required to account to parliament about the trust’s operations – something that would not be in keeping with his status as a constitutional monarch.

The dispute remains unresolved, giving the government a major political headache as it tries to avoid going head to head with the king.
– BBC

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