Prince Simakade Zulu has no intention of contesting the Zulu royal throne, and there is no succession dispute involving him.
This is according to traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who on Tuesday conveyed a message he said the prince had asked him to read.
Buthelezi read the message from Prince Simakade, part of which said: “I am aware of talks that I am aspiring to sit on the throne. I have never expressed such ambitions. Once an announcement has been made about the successor, we must support that person as long as it comes from the king, our late father, or the royal family.”
The prince, according to Buthelezi, was following the wishes of the late King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu and elders who had previously asked that whoever was nominated as successor should be supported.
Prince Simakade, an older son of King Zwelithini, described himself as a respectful and humble person who would never defy his elders.