Durban - As the tensions in the Zulu royal family continue to spill into the public domain, King Misuzulu has eventually met with Princess Nombuso Zulu, but no one wants to say what exactly was discussed.
The meeting took place on Friday and the venue is still not known.
Princess Nombuso is one of the daughters of Queen Sibongile Dlamini, the first wife of the late King Goodwill Zwelithini. Queen Sibongile is currently waging a court battle as she wants to inherit 50% of the late King’s estate on the basis that she was the first to marry him, and they were married in community of property.
Separately, her two daughters, Princess Ntandoyenkosi and Princess Ntombisuthu Zulu, are challenging the validity of the will of the king, alleging that some signatures are forged and, as such, it cannot stand.
Although no one wants to disclose what was discussed except to say it was about unity and matters of siblings, royal sources claimed that Princess Nombuso appeared to have accepted that King Misuzulu would eventually triumph and be king. Because of that, she wanted King Misuzulu to assure her that her mother would not be stripped of her benefits.
“Princess Nombuso came to the king to bargain for her mother. Among the things she wanted to know was whether her mother would still get her stipend as a queen. She used the fact that she is personally close to the king (Misuzulu),” a royal insider said.
Princess Nombuso said it was “false” that she discussed the issue of her mother’s stipend with the new king. She said they met as siblings to discuss family issues.
Asked whether the meeting was a signal that the court cases could eventually be withdrawn and resolved internally and that she had accepted that Misuzulu was king, she said the cases had nothing to do with the throne. She also said Queen Sibongile’s court challenge was “not about the throne”.
In a statement regarding the meeting, royal spokesperson Prince Thulani Zulu said it was all about the unity of all the children of the late King Goodwill Zwelithini.
“Their discussion was centred around working together to find an amicable solution in terms of bringing about unity and sound working relationships among themselves as siblings of the late King Zwelithini ka Bhekuzulu.
”Prior to the meeting, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the traditional prime minister of the Zulu kingdom, had advised King Misuzulu not to travel to KwaKhethondayo palace to meet Princess Nombuso.
On Sunday, Buthelezi said media reports that he had attempted to block the meeting were mischievous as he was merely offering a piece of advice based on a legal brief.
“I want to point out, once more, that while court processes are under way, the advice we received from our advocate was that while this matter is sub judice, meetings with those who instituted the legal action are ill-advised. This is the information I conveyed to His Majesty the King, and that was my only involvement in the matter.
“It must be pointed out that Princess Nombuso Zulu is among those who have instituted legal action seeking to prevent the coronation of her brother, His Majesty the King. Despite these facts, I never sought to stop any family members from meeting at any point,” Buthelezi said.
He added that King Misuzulu had his support, and if he was working towards reconciliation, that was welcomed.
“His Majesty continues to brief me on developments and, in turn, I continue to support His Majesty in my role as traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch and nation. I will support any decisions His Majesty takes – including that of seeking reconciliation. For the sake of the AmaZulu nation and the monarch, I will continue to do everything possible to ensure stability and unity.”
Political Bureau