Zulu Kingship dispute: Supreme Court overturns High Court ruling on King Misuzulu's recognition

The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has overruled the Pretoria High Court judgment that had set aside Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s recognition as monarch.

In December 2023, Judge Norman Davis ruled in favour of Princes Mbonisi and Simakade Zulu, who opposed the King’s official recognition by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

READ: Zulu regiments back Misuzulu as rightful king

In May this year, both the President and the monarch approached the Supreme Court of Appeal to challenge the ruling.

The SCA has now ruled in their favour.

President Cyril Ramaphosa officially recognised King Misuzulu kaZwelithini as the Zulu monarch in March 2022.

However, members of the Zulu royal family who opposed Misuzulu’s ascension to the throne approached the court to oppose this move.

The Pretoria High Court ruled in their favour, saying that proper procedure was not followed in the recognition process.

Lawyers for both the King and President Cyril Ramaphosa appealed the ruling in Bloemfontein. They argued that all processes were followed and that the royal family had actually identified the King, with the President only later giving official recognition.

Three months after the arguments were heard, the Supreme Court overturned the Pretoria High Court ruling. It also ordered that the respondents pay the costs of the appeal.