Celani Sikhakhane
The Zulu royal battle over the throne almost reduced the funeral of the former Zulu regiment leader Mgilija kaZihogo Zelanga Nhleko into a fist fight.
The dramatic incident happened on Saturday at Hlalangwenya in Nongoma after King Misuzulu’s representative, Dr Dumisani Khumalo, asked all amabutho to stand up as a sign of respect for the Zulu regent.
But the male members of the Zulu royal family didn’t stand up.
Instead, rebel prince Thokozani kaPenwell angrily shot up and stormed to the podium to demand that Khumalo withdraw his request – and to stop referring to Misuzulu kaZwelithini as the king.
When kaPenwell almost hit Khumalo, he was quickly reprimanded by the regiment who tried to calm him down.
“Why are you calling Misuzulu a king?” demanded kaPenwell.
“You know very well that we have no king at the moment. But you deliberately refer to the prince as the king to mislead the mourners. Stop meddling in royal family affairs and focus on your Khumalo family matters,” said the furious prince Thokozani.
Other regiments took him to his chair to calm the situation, which was threatening to spiral out of control.
Prince Mbonisi kaBhekuzulu took to the podium and told the mourners that the Zulu nation has no king until the family completes all the necessary procedures.
Khumalo told mourners that he was sent by King Misuzulu kaZwelithini to present a cow as a sign of paying tribute to Mgilija.
There was also an uproar in an ANC WhatsApp group as some leaders started to contest Mgilija’s political legacy.
Others claimed that his political past is questionable. This angered other leaders who threatened to release information of other senior ANC leaders who were implicated in the killings of their fellow comrades in the 1990s.
Besides the royal fight, the Mgilija’s send-off was fit for a king after the regiment brought eMpangane and Nongoma towns in northern KZN to a standstill on Friday and Saturday.
