Reigning them in — just how much is the battle for the Zulu crown worth?

19 August 2022 - 15:57
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King Misuzulu kaZwelithini's uncle and 13 others are trying to prevent him becoming king.
King Misuzulu kaZwelithini's uncle and 13 others are trying to prevent him becoming king.
Image: Sandile Ndlovu

The Zulu throne comes with more than a crown and the title of king — it also comes with the assets of King Goodwill Zwelithini: millions of hectares of land controlled by the Ingonyama Trust, farms, livestock and several properties.

The battle for the Zulu crown has raged, with legal action launched after the death of the monarch last year. Among those contesting are Prince Misuzulu kaZwelithini, Prince Simakade kaZwelithini and Prince Buzabazi kaZwelithini. 

If successful, Prince Misuzulu, who is officially recognised as monarch-in-waiting by the government, will also receive a R1.2m-a-year salary.

Significant to the disputes over the throne is the wealth King Zwelithini accumulated, the annual allocation of millions of rand from the KwaZulu-Natal government, and the benefits of being the sole trustee of the trust.

In 2014 Forbes estimated King Zwelithini to be worth about R340m.

In its annual report, the trust said it earned R76.7m in income in the 2019/2020 period.

This year, the KZN government allocated R67.3m to the Zulu Royal Household for the 2022/23 financial year.

Mpumelelo Zikalala, a Durban-based legal expert, told TimesLIVE the wealth and the crown could not be separated.

“There are a number of things that come hand in hand with the throne. First, the wealth. There must have been certain things that were held by the king under the legal entity of the throne so there would be certain businesses that would be there. I foresee shares also being there. There is also the wine collection. So, there are a number of things one is going to get when appointed king to preside over those items.

“Then there is the Ingonyama Trust. There is a vast amount of land in the province. Even though it’s not specific to the king, it is the king that controls what happens with that land.

'There are disputes with regard to the minerals on the land and who it belongs to. However, the practice is that whatever is found, the king is going to have a share. There are huge amounts of money to be distributed,” Zikalala said.

While the tussle for the crown may end with Prince Misuzulu’s upcoming coronation, King Zwelithini’s estate may still be in dispute.

His first wife, Queen Sibongile Dlamini-Zulu, won a Supreme Court of Appeal fight to appeal the Pietermaritzburg High Court judgment, which dismissed her application to have 50% of the estate set aside for her.

TimesLIVE

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