The King of the Zulu, South Africa’s most powerful customary ruler, underwent “extensive” medical examinations after the sudden death of a close adviser, and is “in perfect health”, said Sunday July 2 his spokesman, while some voices at the palace mentioned a risk of poisoning. “The king, visiting Eswatini, underwent extensive medical examinations as a precaution in the context of Covid and after the sudden death of his close adviser,” said Prince Africa Zulu, reached by telephone by AFP.
Assuring that Misuzulu Zulu, 48, also called Misuzulu kaZwelithini, is “in perfect health and that he is not currently admitted to any hospital”, the king’s spokesman denounced in a press release an “orchestrated attempt” to circulating “baseless information about Her Majesty’s health”.
In a statement released overnight from Saturday to Sunday, the influential traditional Zulu prime minister, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, said he had been informed that Misuzulu Zulu had been hospitalized “after falling ill earlier in the day” on Saturday.
Almost one in five South Africans is Zulu
According to this respected representative of the Zulu royal family, the king believed in possible poisoning after the sudden and mysterious death of his adviser on Saturday. Douglas Xaba “died suddenly and it is suspected that he was poisoned,” Buthelezi said. “When Her Majesty began to feel unwell, she suspected that she too had been poisoned.” The king preferred to seek treatment in Eswatini rather than South Africa where both his parents “were treated and died”, he added, expressing his “great concern”.
Several police sources in Eswatini confirmed to AFP the deployment of an important security device at the private hospital of Ezulwini, a few kilometers from the residence of the king of Eswatini, the last absolute monarch of Africa. “Roadblocks and armed officers were deployed at the hospital,” one source described.
The king’s spokesman, who said he was going to Eswatini on Sunday, refused to comment on the possible causes of the adviser’s death. He did not specify when Misuzulu Zulu should be back in South Africa.
In the southern African country, sovereigns and traditional chiefs are recognized by the Constitution. Kings without executive power, they wield deep moral authority and are revered by their people. The country with eleven official languages has 11 million Zulus, or almost one in five South Africans. In September, a Misuzulu Zulu councilor was mysteriously shot and killed on the sidelines of a traditional ceremony.