IT SEEMS the Zulu royal family drama is continuing.
Members of the family are currently preparing to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the passing of King Goodwill Zwelithini with a memorial service penned for Saturday, 12 March.
Initially, the memorial service was set to be held at KwaKhethomthandayo Royal Palace, where his funeral service took place. The venue has been changed as King Misuzulu won’t attend if it’s at KwaKhethomthandayo.
The memorial service will now be held at King Misuzulu’s home at KwaKhangelamankengane Royal Palace in Nongoma.
The KZN government has already released a statement saying they will host the late King’s memorial service at KwaKhethomthandayo.
Zulu traditional prime minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi said KwaKhethomthandayo was suggested as the venue but senior family members pointed out that this would be inappropriate.
This is because it has already been agreed that an error was made in taking King Zwelithini’s body to KwaKhethomthandayo, instead of KwaKhangelamankengane.
“Accordingly, King Misuzulu indicated that he cannot attend a memorial service held at KwaKhethomthandayo.
“It is unreasonable for anyone to expect King Misuzulu to go to KwaKhethomthandayo when he was publicly insulted by a princess from that palace after the court ruled he was the rightful king,” he said.
After the high court in Pietermaritzburg ruled that King Misuzulu was the rightful king, Princess Ntandoyenkosi disputed this in a TV interview.
She said the family still needed to have a meeting to choose the rightful successor.
Buthelezi said as Zwelithini’s widows were organising the memorial service, the office of the KZN premier was approached for money as funding for royal house cultural events was withdrawn pending the coronation.
