A South African court has declared the official coronation of King Misuzulu ka Zwelithini by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2022 to be "unlawful and invalid". The court has ordered the president to launch an inquiry into whether the king's accession to the throne followed the customary laws of the Zulu nation.
"It is declared that the recognition by the first respondent of the second respondent as Isilo of the Zulu nation was unlawful and invalid and the recognition decision is hereby set aside," the court's ruling reads.
The ruling came after the king's half-brother, Prince Simakade Zulu, challenged his legitimacy and claimed he was the rightful heir. Prince Simakade argued that the late King Goodwill Zwelithini, who died in 2021, did not appoint a successor and that the king's will was allegedly forged.
The Zulu king is the most influential traditional leader in South Africa and controls a large amount of land and resources. The legal dispute over the succession has caused division and tension within the royal family and the Zulu people.
King Misuzulu has not yet commented on the court's decision, but his lawyers have indicated that they will appeal. The Office of the President has also made no statement on the matter.
King Zwelithini died in March 2021 after ruling for more than five decades. He had six wives and at least 28 children. In his will, Zwelithini named his third wife, Mantfombi MaDlamini, Misuzulu's mother, as regent until a new monarch ascended the throne. However, the queen died unexpectedly a month after the king, leaving a will that named Misuzulu, the eldest of her eight children, as king.