Nongoma – A senior member of the Zulu royal family is heard in a leaked voice note, allegedly sent to the faction opposed to Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, telling them to accept the reality that the late Queen Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu is, according to Zulu culture, the legitimate queen regent and the next Zulu king should come from her house.
Princess Nondumiso Zulu, the daughter of Prince Vincent Zulu (a former ambassador), says Dlamini Zulu’s superior marital status was cemented when her lobola was paid for by the Zulu nation, making her a senior wife.
She said she vividly recalled her own family contributing to the lobola sent to the royal house of Eswatini in the ’70s.
“There is nothing we can do about this Ndaba. We must accept that once a princess from another royal house marries into your house, she takes over. It was us who accepted that. I personally remember that my family contributed to the 300 cows which were sent as lobola to Swaziland (Eswatini),” she is heard saying in the note.
Audio: Supplied
In the leaked audio recording, which emerged on Tuesday morning and appears to have been recorded shortly after a meeting held a week after the burial of King Goodwill Zwelithini, Princess Nondumiso, from the Nkombabantu royal house, is heard saying the other five wives of the late king could not produce the next king because their status was junior to that of Kwakhangelamankengane Palace where the late king lived with Dlamini Zulu.
“By the way, Ndaba (your royal highness), the next king should come from the house of the previous king, so there is only one house of the king. In this case, KwaKhangelamankengane (Khangela) is the house. In case the next king is not married, what should have been done since Ndaba? You know that it would have been disastrous to appoint a brother of the (late) king to act because the (late) king knows how difficult it was when his father (late Prince Mcwayizeni) acted and resisted when he had to vacate the throne,” the princess is heard saying.
This part implies that the message was directed at Prince Mbonisi, according to the pending court papers filed by Queen Sibongile Dlamini Zulu who wants half of the late king’s estate. Mbonisi’s name was raised for the acting position but it was rejected.
On Monday, during an impromptu press conference called by the “royal clique” and led by Princess Thembi, Prince Mbonisi confirmed that his name was raised for the acting position during a royal meeting on March 24, but the late queen had said she was going to act on the throne herself.
In the circulating voice note that is in Zulu, Princess Nondumiso said the late queen was right to insist on acting as her house has to produce the next king and if the next king was not yet married, she should keep the fires burning until he was ready.
Efforts to locate Princess Nondumiso failed. The story will be updated when she comments.
sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za
Political Bureau