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Succession, inheritance wars bedevil royal family

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER

THE Royal family leading South Africa’s 12 million Amazulu is fighting wars on two fronts in the South African courts.

In the first case, Queen Sibongile Dlamini, one of the six widows of the late King Goodwill Zwelithini has turned to the courts in an effort to get 50 percent of his estate. The 5th widow and regent, Queen Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu passed away and will be buried on Thursday.

In the second case Queen Dlamini’s two daughters have separately approached the courts to have King Zwelithini’s will set aside because they allege that his signature was forged. The daughters want the execution of the will suspended until the matter is resolved.

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In another twist, the late King’s three siblings have dismissed claims that they were responsible for Queen Dlamini-Zulu’s death, after revelations that doctors had found poision in her liver.

Princess Thembi, Prince Mbonisi and Prince Thokozani told a press conference that they were hurt at being linked to the Queen Regent’s death.

In her affidavit to support her claim in court, Queen Dlamini, known as MaDlamini, was half the estate and the remaining 50% can be shared in terms of the King’s wishes.

“As things stand, the entire estate is owned jointly and in equal share by me and the late Isilo. This means, I own 50% of the entire estate… therefore, any attempt to dispose of the entire estate as if it was the sole property of the late Isilo is legally incompetent and impermissible. I am advised that one half of the entire estate must be determined and set aside as a portion that may be distributed in terms of the will,” she said.

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In the affidavit, the Queen also discloses that there was no consensus in the Royal House that Queen Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu should be the regent. 

She claims that the Royal House wanted Prince Mbonisi, brother of the late King, to act until a successor is announced.

“I have no knowledge of precisely when and how the decision identifying, appointing or recommending the Second Respondent (Dlamini-Zulu) as regent (was reached). If this in fact happened it did not occur at the meeting of 24 March 2021. 

“The members of the Royal Family proposed the name of Prince Mbonisi Zulu to be Ibambabukhosi and the Second Respondent objected to that nomination. As I understand, no decision was made at the meeting by the family.”

The Queen also revealed that she was against the appointment of the late Queen Dlamini-Zulu as a regent. She argued in her papers that the late Queen was not eligible to be a regent or a successor to the throne. “This is so because she is not born in the Zulu royal family. She also does not meet the definitional requirements to be a successor to the throne. 

“Her customary union does not entitle her to ascend to the throne. Accordingly, she is not eligible to ascend to the throne as Ibambabukhosi or a successor,” she argued.

Zwelithin was the sole trustee of the Ngonyama Trust, which owns over 2.9-million land on behalf of Amazulu.

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The King also received over R71-million annually from the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government.

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By The African Mirror

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