New Zulu king has a meeting with KZN Premier

FOLLOWING his ascension to the Zulu throne last week Friday and pending a few government formalities – like a public coronation – the new Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has met with KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala.

The meeting took place yesterday morning, at KwaKhangelamankengane Royal Palace, in Nongoma.

After the behind-closed-doors meeting, Zikalala said he assured the 47-yearold American-educated king that the provincial government he is leading will continue to play its role in supporting the royal household, as in the past.

“The purpose (of the meeting) was to clarify how the government works with the royal house as a whole. It is known that the royal house is under the premier’s office, in terms of governance and the administration, and the premier’s office is expected to provide support to his majesty and to the royal house, as a whole, as it has always been. So we are here to deal with such issues, as to how we provide that and ensure that it is not disrupted,” Zikalala said.

He said they discussed the issue of the king’s security and that of the royal family. Security became a hot topic on Sunday, when the KZN government, the ANC in KZN and the SAPS at the national level accused traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and Nation Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi of peddling lies, by claiming the VIP protection unit of the king had been withdrawn.

Zikalala said there was a miscommunication that led to confusion about the security of the king and royal palaces.

“But more than that, we were here to ensure that, as there were reports about the withdrawal of the security, we wanted to confirm for ourselves that there is no such a thing … There was no point where the security was withdrawn and you can see for yourselves that it is not withdrawn. It is here and we will continue to support the royal house, as a whole, in ensuring that they continue to do their work to serve the Zulu people,” he said.

News channel eNCA reported yesterday that since the issue of royal security was still being discussed, KZN SAPS provincial commissioner LieutenantGeneral Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi was spotted within the palace, apparently to assure the new king that his security will not be withdrawn.