King Misuzulu’s Choice of New Queen Sparks Debate Over Zulu Tradition
AmaZulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s recognition of Princess Sihle LaMawewe Mdluli of the Ndwandwe royal family as queen of the eMashobeni Palace has ignited heated debate within the Zulu nation.
The announcement came during a reed dance at Ludzidzini Palace in Eswatini earlier this week, where the king proposed to Mdluli in front of dignitaries and maidens. While the moment was celebrated by many as a strengthening of ties between the Zulu and Swati royal families, others criticised it as a breach of long-held Zulu customs.
“There are no checks and balances that ensure that the king complies with the culture. The people’s confidence is going down,” said one source, questioning the timing and manner of the engagement.
The source alleged that Mdluli and the king had been living together for nearly a year, making her participation in the reed dance inappropriate. “Either way, they are cohabiting. You can’t be cohabiting and act as a maiden. No one can argue that,” the source said.
“She danced bare breasted. You must cover your breasts unless you are still pure. You can’t be chosen at the reed dance when you have been living together. We can choose each other at the reed dance only if we are dating but have never touched each other before,” the source added.
It is also claimed that one of the king’s wives had objected to Mdluli’s presence at the pre-reed dance in KwaZulu-Natal, which may explain why the engagement was formalised in Eswatini instead of Nongoma. Sources further allege that the king’s siblings are unhappy with his conduct and are planning to call a meeting to address their concerns.
“This is a taboo. It has never happened in the Zulu kingdom that the nation would have a reed dance without the king,” one insider said, adding that maidens attending this year’s ceremony were noticeably fewer compared with previous years.
Some critics went as far as linking the declining participation to the king’s personal choices. “He started by fetching a woman with children and made her his wife. Maidens no longer see Umhlanga as a place of purity,” a source claimed.
However, others defended the king’s actions, saying his engagement in Eswatini was aligned with Swati traditions. “She is allowed to attend the reed dance, and she is still dancing because she is not the queen yet. Once she becomes the queen, she will not dance any more. They stay in the same palace, but they do not sleep together,” another source explained.
Reports also suggest that lobola negotiations are already under way. According to insiders, the king sent a delegation to the Mawewe Royal Palace in March to express his intention to marry Mdluli and had already delivered cows to her family. “He said he wanted to make her the principal wife, and one of his wives said, ‘if you dare, you will see’. Things have been at a standstill ever since,” the source claimed.
The king’s spokesperson, Thulani Zulu, said he could not confirm the engagement. “I can’t comment on it because I just heard that it happened when the king was in Eswatini. Nobody told me. I need to talk to the king. I can’t comment on that, because those are private things of His Majesty,” he said.
In a statement, the royal house framed the decision as one rooted in tradition and history. “By presenting the new Queen Consort within this ritual, before the reigning monarch of Eswatini, the Zulu kingdom validates the queen’s purity and royal readiness, and respects Swazi-Zulu shared customs that trace back to King Mswati II, King Shaka and King Zwide,” it said.
Meanwhile, preparations are under way for this weekend’s Umkhosi woMhlanga, the Zulu reed dance. The ceremony, where maidens present reeds to the king as a symbol of their purity, has been relocated from Enyokeni Royal Palace in Nongoma to eMashobeni Palace.
For generations, the reed dance has stood as a symbol of cultural identity and pride for the Zulu nation. This year, however, it comes with a renewed debate over whether the king’s personal choices honour or undermine those traditions.
Follow Us on Twitter
