King Misuzulu KaZwelithini. Picture: Theo Jeptha/ African News Agency (ANA)
DURBAN - The long-awaited coronation of King Misuzulu kaZwelithini as the next traditional leader of the Zulu nation will take place on May 28, 2022, and the event will likely take place at Enyokeni royal palace in Nongoma, northern KwaZulu-Natal.
This date comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed to the coronation committee that he would be available on this day and he would attend the historic event.
When the coronation committee met in Ulundi late last month, they wrote a letter to Ramaphosa to ask for his availability so that they could plan accordingly.
In an official reply sent to the Zulu traditional prime minister, Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, the minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, on Monday this week, Ramaphosa confirmed his attendance.
BREAKNG NEWS: King Misuzulu will likely be coronated on 28 May 2022. This is after President Cryil Ramaphosa confirmed to the coronation committee that he will be available on this date and he will attend the historic event. Now the committee has to choose a venue. @DailyNewsSA
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) April 7, 2022
“Baba Shenge (Buthelezi) ... Thank you for your letter of 28 March 2022 inviting me to participate in the coronation ceremony of His Majesty King Misuzulu kaZwelithini. I have noted that the Royal Family has decided to host the ceremony by the end of May 2022 at the Enyokeni Palace.
“This letter serves to confirm my availability to participate in the said ceremony on 28 May 2022. For further enquiries on government's participation in the ceremony, the Office of His Majesty King Misuzulu kaZwelithini may contact the Director-General of the Department of Traditional Affairs, Mr Mashwahle Diphofa,” Ramaphosa wrote.
Now that he has confirmed May 28, 2022, what is left for the committee to do when it meets on Friday is to rubber-stamp the date and start issuing invitations.
Among the high-profile guests the committee intends to invite is King Mswati of eSwatini. King Mswati is the uncle of King Misuzulu on the basis that he is the half-brother of the late Queen Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu, a daughter of the late King Sobhuza.
Also expected to grace the event are King Letsie of Lesotho, traditional leaders from local kingdoms like Amarharhabe in the Eastern Cape, and the leaders of the Ngoni tribe of Zambia, who have their historic roots in the Zulu kingdom.
Although eNyokeni is the mooted host venue for the coronation, there are some within the coronation committee who want the event to be hosted in Durban. The consideration is informed by the fact that the mooted host town, Nongoma, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, is under-resourced in terms of accommodation and large, open venues.
However, on the issue of the venue, Prince Thulani Zulu, King Misuzulu’s aide and spokesperson who sits on the committee, said it was yet to be discussed.
“We have not yet discussed the issue of the venue as the committee has only met once … this could be just the wishes of other people regarding the matter,” he said.