CAPE TOWN, South Africa
A new Zulu king can be crowned in South Africa after a court settled a dispute Wednesday over whether the prince named as heir to the throne last year had a rightful claim to it.
A KwaZulu-Natal high court
judge in the city of Pietermaritzburg ruled that Prince Misuzulu KaZwelithini,
the eldest surviving son of the late king, is the “undisputed successor to the
throne.”
The Zulu king has a largely
ceremonial role in South Africa but holds great significance for the 12 million
Zulus who make up the country’s largest ethnic group. The king also inherits
control over large portions of land and a significant fortune.
The battle over Prince
Misuzulu’s claim began last year with the death of King Goodwill Zwelithini,
who had held the throne since 1968. The king’s will named one of his wives as
Queen Regent of the Zulus, but she died a month after the king, leaving her son
Prince Misuzulu to be named the king in waiting.
Two Zulu princesses said the
late king’s will had been forged and went to court to stop Misuzulu’s
coronation.
The judge ruled Misuzulu was
the rightful heir, giving the go-ahead for South Africa to witness the first
Zulu coronation in more than half a century and the first in the country’s
post-apartheid era.
However, the judge suspended
the execution of the late king’s will pending a court hearing to decide on its
authenticity. King Zwelithini’s fortune has been estimated at $20 million.
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