Nongoma –Just like her late husband, recently departed Zulu Queen Regent, Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu, will be buried at night and in the Kwakhangelamankengane Palace in Nongoma, northern KZN.
The private burial of the 65-year-old daughter of the late King Sobhuza II of Eswatini and sister of King Mswati III, will take place in private and in the thick of dawn (all Swati royals are buried like this) on Thursday.
Announcing the funeral’s details this morning, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the traditional prime minister to the king and the Zulu nation, said a memorial service will take place on the following day, Friday.
“On behalf of the Zulu Royal Family, I hereby inform the nation of arrangements that have been made for the funeral of the late Regent, Her Majesty Queen Shiyiwe Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu. On Wednesday May 5. Her Majesty’s body will be transported from Johannesburg to her Royal Palace of KwaKhangelamankengane in Nongoma, KwaZulu-Natal, where preparations for her burial will take place on Thursday.
“In line with her wishes, as was done for His Majesty the King, Her Majesty will be interred at the crack of dawn in a private burial. As confirmed by her children, Her Majesty wished to be buried at her Royal Palace. Having discussed this with the Queen Mother, Queen Mayvis maZungu (wife of the late King Bhekuzulu, the father of late King Goodwill Zwelithini), it has been agreed that everything must be done in accordance with the late Regent’s wishes.
BREAKING NEWS: The late Zulu Queen Regent Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu will be buried on Thursady night and in private - just like the late King Goodwill Zwelithini, her husband. The queen will be buried within the palace of Khangela in Nongoma where she lived most of her life. @IOL
— Sihle Mavuso (@NewsBotZA) May 3, 2021
“A memorial service will be held on Friday at KwaKhangelamankengane Palace, which will be presided over by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church to which Her Majesty belonged. It is expected, however, that His Grace the Archbishop of the Anglican Church will also participate,” Buthelezi said.
Due to Covid-19 limitations, Buthelezi said only a few would be allowed to take part in the memorial service.
“Regrettably, as the Covid-19 pandemic remains with us, a request must be made for members of the public to refrain from travelling to the palace to pay their respects. Her Majesty’s memorial service will be attended by members of the Royal Families of both the Kingdom of Zululand and the Kingdom of eSwatini. This will further reduce the number of mourners allowed in terms of Covid-19 protocols. Such protocols will be strictly maintained.”
While not announced by Buthelezi, royal sources told Independent Media yesterday, that after the memorial service, the monarch would announce the next Zulu king who is expected to be US educated 47-year-old Prince Misuzulu, who is the son of Dlamini-Zulu and King Goodwill Zwelithini.
The sources said this would be done to ensure that there is no leadership vacuum that “could be exploited and used to divide the royal house.”
The tipping of the prince as the next king of the Zulus was contested yesterday, by the “royal clique” led by Princess Thembi and Prince Mbonisi. They told an impromptu press conference outside the Kwakhangelamankengane Palace that the matter is yet to be discussed, with the princess repeating her previous assertions that “only God knows” who will be the next King.
Political Bureau