Durban - Zulu King Misuzulu remains willing to engage with his siblings who disputed his rise to the throne.
Royals who stood against the crowning of King Misuzulu kaZwelithini as the new ruler in the kingdom will have to demonstrate a willingness to reconcile as the door remains open to such a move, a senior royal, Prince Thulani Zulu said yesterday.
His comment comes days after the successful performing of the Ukungena Esibayeni (entering the kraal) ritual by King Misuzulu on Saturday in which the king was introduced to his ancestors and to scores of people.
The prince admitted that the divisions that played out in the public in the past weeks and months had tarnished the royal family image.
“We never got out of the house to express our opposition or made any forms of expression in the public gallery; the onus is on those who left the process.
“To us as the family there has never been any hostility towards unity of the royal family,” said Prince Thulani Zulu.
A royal insider, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was unprecedented to have so many people contesting the throne, suggesting that underhand tactics were at play by individuals who wanted to drive a wedge between royal family members.
This was in reference to public announcements by some royal family members that Prince Simakade kaZwelithini and Prince Buzabazi kaZwelithini were rightful heirs to the Zulu throne.
Prince Buzabazi’s name was announced last Thursday, just two days before King Misuzulu was to perform the ritual of entering the kraal.
“The fact of the matter is that people have been lying in wait to take advantage of the vacuum caused when the late king passed on last year, and they are using every trick in the book to drive a wedge in the family. Unfortunately, some royals are actually falling for this,” said the royal insider.
He insisted that they should apologise to King Misuzulu and admit that they had been misled.
Attempts to get comment from other royals, including Prince Mbonisi kaBhekuzulu, were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, a leading cultural expert has suggested that the new king should seek the audience and counsel of the queen mothers as a first step of fostering family unity and dealing with the fallout following the late king’s death.
Dr Velaphi Mkhize of Umsamo Cultural Institute said backing from the queens would be crucial for King Misuzulu and would go a long way towards cementing his legacy.
“This should be his primary focus within the first 100 days because if he can get the queens to meet with him and tell them that he needs them to provide guidance, it will make it much easier to meet with the princes and seek to put an end to this impasse,” said Mkhize.
He added that the king needed to choose his advisers wisely.
“Family unity is going to be crucial in order for King Misuzulu to reign well,” Mkhize continued.
Attempts to get comment from Zulu Traditional Prime Minister Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi were unsuccessful as he was not available yesterday.