Durban - The members of the Zulu group backing Prince Simakade as he fights for the Zulu throne against King Misuzulu say the battle has just begun.
The staunch backers say the October 29 coronation of King Misuzulu in Durban means nothing to them.
On Tuesday, the backers staged an impromptu press conference in Durban where they spoke about their way forward as they gear up for the legal battle to play out before the Pretoria High Court in May and June this year.
In this battle, they are challenging the recognition of King Misuzulu by President Cyril Ramaphosa and his subsequent coronation and want to have it set aside.
Among those who attended the press conference was Prince Thokozani Zulu, the Prince who publicly locked horns with Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi (the Zulu traditional prime minister) during the reading of the will of the late Queen Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu.
This happened at KwaKhangalemankengane palace in May last year, shortly after the memorial service of the late queen regent.
Also present at the presser was Prince Mandlakapheli Zulu, the royal family member who speaks on behalf of Prince Simakade and his backers as he fights for the throne.
Kicking off the presser, Prince Mandlakaphelisa said many people in the Zulu kingdom thought that the battle for the throne ended when King Misuzulu was coronated last year.
“We understand that a lot has happened since 2021 when UMdlokombane (King Goodwill Zwelithini) passed away, and a lot happened in the past year, 2022.
“Everybody witnessed what happened on October 29 (2022, King Misuzulu’s coronation), and everybody said, no, the game is over.
“We want to tell everyone that the issue of the throne has not been concluded. To us, as the royal family, this is just the beginning.
“What do I mean when I say, according to the royal family, we are still at the early stages? I mean, the royal family, as an institution, has never been to court to challenge the matter.
UPDATE: Addressing the media in Durban a moment ago, Prince Mandlakapheli, the spokesperson of Prince Simakade, says the battle for the Zulu throne is not over and the October coronation of King Misuzulu in Durban is nothing to them. "We are just at the beginning of it." @IOL
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) January 10, 2023
“When I say the royal institution, I am not referring to a Mdlokombane’s (King Goodwill Zwelithini) family or an individual. We mean all houses of the royal family,” he said.
Prince Mandlakapheli then handed over the podium to Prince Thokozani Zulu, who said they were confident of victory based on historical cases where other kings were dethroned while in the pounding seat.
He cited the dethroning of former Venda King, Toni Mphephu Rabulana, and the recent dethroning (posthumously) of King Zanozuko of the AMaMpondo kingdom.
He said that, on its own, is evidence enough to debunk the ongoing myth that they would not win in court and, once the certificate of recognition has been handed over, cannot be withdrawn.
“Even if there is someone who has been identified for the throne, once he is found guilty of violating parts of Section 9, he can be removed and replaced by somebody else.
“It is very important for us who are led by the rightful King who was nominated according to the law and customs, that taking the route to court was forced on us,” he said.
He added that they decided to approach the courts after exhausting all the internal avenues to address their grievances.
According to Prince Thokozani, their multi-pronged legal battle would first try to address the contested royal meeting of May 14, 2021, where King Misuzulu was identified as the successor of the late King Goodwill Zwelithini.
He claimed that the meeting was called by a person who had no authority to do so, and the meeting was called under the pretext of a cleansing ceremony.
“So, that meeting on May 14, which they are using as their defence, was not called by the royal family since the (traditional) prime minister (Buthelezi) does not have the right to call such any royal meeting,” he said.
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