Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini's controversial wedding with queen-to-be Nomzamo Myeni has been postponed to February, according to sources.
The traditional wedding was scheduled for Sunday at Khangela royal palace in Ulundi, KwaZulu-Natal, preceded by umkhehlo at Myeni's home in Jozini on Friday. Umkhehlo is a traditional ceremony when the groom and the bride exchange gifts.
However, two highly placed sources say the wedding has been put on hold.
“The wedding is not cancelled but postponed — the reason is that the king is still in seclusion,” said one source.
I know the world is expecting the lion to comment because a lot has happened since we last met, but I am not going to say much because it is not the right time to do so since I am still in seclusion
— source
He said the king had sent a delegation to the Myeni homestead to appease them with a cow in light of the postponement.
TimesLIVE Premium has also learnt from another reliable source the king was scheduled to travel on Thursday.
“The king is going to Eswatini today [Thursday] and we are not sure when he will come back. A person who has a ceremony cannot go to another country. This is an indication that there is no wedding for now,” he said.
By midday on Thursday, a service provider contacted said his quotes for both the king's wedding and umkhehlo had not been confirmed. He said had the events been given the green light, his teams would have deployed and completed their duties in Jozini and Nongoma by Thursday.
During the commemoration of the 146th anniversary of the Battle of Isandlwana in Nquthu on Wednesday, the king remained tight-lipped on his wedding plans and other important issues.
“I know the world is expecting the lion to comment because a lot has happened since we last met, but I am not going to say much because it is not the right time to do so since I am still in seclusion,” he said.
However, Myeni's presence alongside him at the event was seen by many as a sign the wedding was going ahead.
The king has been dogged by controversy since instituting divorce proceedings against queen Ntokozo kaMayisela, who lost an urgent interdict to stop the wedding on Monday.
The king, after firing traditional prime minister Thulasizwe Buthelezi — who was present at the event — is also at loggerheads with the Ingonyama Trust board over control of the body, which oversees millions of hectares of land in KwaZulu-Natal.
The king said he would talk after burning impepho for the nation to connect with ancestors, spiritual guides and God.
There was uncertainty whether the wedding would proceed after a letter surfaced, purported to have been signed by the king and sent to the director-general in the office of the premier, Dr Nonhlanhla Mkhize. The letter dated January 18, which allegedly bore his logo and signature, informed Mkhize the wedding had been cancelled and also instructed her to withdraw with immediate effect all benefits, allowances and security assigned to the queen-to-be.
Myeni, however, told some media houses she knew nothing about the withdrawal of her benefits and her wedding was going ahead.
A second letter also purported to be from the king surfaced, in which the monarch axed his right-hand man, Prince Simphiwe Zulu.
Speaking to the media at Isandlwana on Wednesday, KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli said he had not yet seen a letter allegedly signed by the king sent to Mkhize.
“I was with Dr Mkhize on Tuesday and she did not present any letter to me,” said Ntuli.
TimesLIVE
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