SABELO NSELE
KING Misuzulu kaZwelithini has skirted the issue of his now almost comical wedding to Queen Nomzamo MaMyeni, which faced a failed court interdict from his wife, Queen Ntokozo KaMayisela, who the king plans to divorce.
The wedding was supposed to take place today; however, in his submission to court, the king denied that he was getting married.
The court threw out Queen Ntokozo's application with costs, and the judge said she had agreed to amend her marriage to the king to make it amenable to polygamy.
Speaking for the first time after the Pietermaritzburg High Court ruling, the king took to the podium at the 146th commemoration of the Battle of Isandlwana in eNquthu, saying he was still fasting and in isolation to honour the ongoing First Fruits ceremony, which ends on February 12.
The king was accompanied by Queen Nomzamo.
The odd turn of events for the king's wedding stems from his dismissal of his spokesperson and confidant, Prince Simphiwe Zulu of the KwaMinyamanzi royal household.
The king denied any knowledge of a letter that was circulated that announced the cancellation of his wedding to Queen Nomzamo and the withdrawal of bodyguards and spousal benefits for her.
The letter, which circulated on social media last weekend, bore the Zulu kingdom's letterhead and the king's purported signature and was addressed to the provincial director-general, Dr Nonhlanhla Mkhize.
Mkhzie said the letter didn't reach her office.
"We did not receive the letter except hearing about it from the media, so we could not act on the letter that was sent to the media, not to us. This must be investigated so that the origin of the letter can be determined," said Mkhize.
The authenticity of the letter was denied by both the king and queen last Sunday, who laughed off its contents, which suggested that their relationship had ended.
The pair were together at the new palace, eMashobeni near oPhongolo in the north-east of the province.
The king said ordinarily he wouldn't have attended the Battle of Isandlwana commemoration because he was still fasting but showed up out of respect for this important event.
Besides his wedding saga, the king was expected to touch on other important issues like the imminent liquidation of Ithala Bank, his legal tussle with the Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB), and the vacancy of the traditional prime minister for the Zulu nation and monarch, which has been vacant since he let go of Thulasizwe Buthelezi, who's the MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in KwaZulu-Natal and a senior member of the IFP.
Relations have soured between the king and the Ingonyama Trust Board after the king suspended six members of the board, citing dissatisfaction with how the affairs of the board were run and alleging they breached the Public Finance Management Act.
However, Land Reforms and Rural Development Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso intervened and said the powers to act against the board rested with him and not the king. Nyhontso's response irked Zulu regiments, who regarded his intervention as a plot to undermine the king.
Parliament's land reform portfolio committee wants an audience with the king to resolve the crisis caused by the breakdown of trust between him and the ITB.
On Thursday, Inkosi Phathizwe Chiliza, the deputy traditional prime minister, was in charge of the commemoration's proceedings. There was great expectation that the new traditional prime minister would be announced.
However, the king said he will have an opportunity to speak when the First Fruits ceremony was over and said the best opportunity would be during the opening of the provincial legislature next month.
"I apologise to newspapers; I know a lot was expected from me. The day has not come for His Majesty to speak about affairs of the land; I am only addressing family issues," said the king.
In a telephone interview, the king vowed to marry Myeni by 'force'.
However, the wedding is said to be no longer taking place today as scheduled. Those close to the king said he was advised to let the divorce process be exhausted and then remarry.
Additional reporting by Willem Phungula.