Court upholds Misuzulu claim to Zulu throne

Constitutional Court on Friday dismissed an appeal bid by Prince Simakade, finding no reasonable chance of success and noting the late filing. This upholds prior rulings that recognized King Misuzulu kaZwelithini as the rightful heir to the Zulu throne.

Misuzulu was nominated by his late mother, Queen Regent Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu, after the 2021 death of King Goodwill Zwelithini. Misuzulu’s claim was formally endorsed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2022.

In the wake of the court’s decision, King Misuzulu called for family unity, while his supporters celebrated the end of a saga that tested Zulu customs against legal processes for the nation’s 12 million amaZulu people.