This archive report was first published on 4 October 2021.
King Misizulu KaZwelithini, the Zulu monarch, has been accused of engaging in incestuous relationships, siring two children with a domestic helper who was also a relative of his late mother.
The allegations, published in City Press on October 3, 2021, claim that the king's behavior is a breach of customary taboos and immorality in the Zulu community.
According to City Press, a source close to the royal house described King Misizulu as a 'drunk' and a 'party animal,' further fueling the controversy surrounding his kingship.
However, Prince Thulani Zulu, the king's assistant, dismissed the allegations as coming from detractors opposed to King Misizulu's ascension to the throne.
Prince Thulani stated, 'People mustn't tell us about what happened long ago. We can't bring someone's past up because then we won't go anywhere... We expected all this noise, but it isn't helping us.'
Additionally, Prince Thulani questioned the character of those making the allegations, asking, 'Who judges those people's own characters and how can they point fingers when no one's looking at their own backgrounds?'
The allegations come at a time when a faction of the royal house is objecting to King Misizulu's ascendancy to the throne, following the death of his father, Goodwill Zwelithini, in March 2021.
