South Africa’s Zulu queen has not stopped the king’s third marriage

The first wife of South Africa’s Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has failed in her legal bid to stop his plans to take a third wife.

Queen Ntokozo kaMayisela went to court this week ahead of the expected wedding.

But despite the ruling, it’s unclear whether the wedding will go ahead as planned.

On Saturday, South African media quoted a letter from the king saying the ceremony had been canceled for “reasons beyond the control of the royal household”.

Polygamous marriages are allowed in South Africa, but only if they are registered as customary marriages.

This latest row comes amid a series of scandals that have hit King Misuzulu since he came to power a little over two years ago.

The Zulu king has no formal political power and the monarch’s role in wider South African society is largely ceremonial, but he remains highly influential with an annual government-funded budget of several billion dollars.

Before taking the throne, the king married Mayisela in 2021 in a civil wedding.

In legal arguments heard at the High Court on Monday, the Queen, through her lawyer, said the King could not marry anyone else because their marriage was still valid.

Under South African law, a civil marriage must be dissolved or converted to a traditional union before a man can take more wives.

Dismissing the king’s request to stop his marriage to Nomzamo Myeni, Justice Bongani Mngadi said the queen had already accepted the idea that her husband could marry other women, she could not prevent a ceremony from taking place.

Last year, according to what was said in court on Monday, the royal couple agreed to make the civil marriage traditional. But the king has since filed for divorce, saying their relationship had broken down.

Although the letters that have been reported, as well as the king’s lawyer in court, have said that the wedding will not take place, contradictory statements have also appeared.

South African news site TimesLIVE reported that the bride said she knew nothing about the letter and that it was her understanding that her wedding would go ahead as originally planned.

According to another news site IOL, which reportedly spoke to the couple, the king insisted that he loved Myeni and would “marry her by force”.

Since his coronation in October 2022, controversy has arisen regarding some of the decisions taken by the Misuzulu king.

In December, he outlawed the board of the Ingonyama Trust, which owns and controls vast communal lands in KwaZulu-Natal, which is said to be for the benefit and welfare of communities in the region under the king’s leadership.

King Misuzulu is the sole chairman of the board of trustees, but has no authority to hire or fire board members.

He has also recently fired two close aides, including his traditional prime minister, in quick succession; the moves raised eyebrows among the royal watchers.

Misuzulu’s position as king is also being questioned by some and a legal case is currently underway challenging the state’s recognition as monarch.

He ascended the throne earlier than expected when his father, King Goodwill Zwelithini, died of diabetes-related complications in March 2021 during the Covid pandemic.

Zwelithini was the longest reigning monarch in the Zulu nation, serving on the throne for almost 50 years.