Zulu King Misuzulu's love life shocked South Africa while he chooses a divorce

The love life of South Africa Zulu King has the country Agog – and scandals his socially conservative subjects as he gets involved with tradition by seeking divorce.

Polygamy is part of Zulu's culture, but King Misuzulu Kazulini has taken the unusual step to go to court to divorce his first wife, Queen Ntocozo Camaisella.

“Everyone was puzzled. People did not expect the King to come up with a divorce request,” Prof. Gugu Mazibuo, a cultural expert at the University of South Africa in Johannesburg, told the BBC.

“There is no divorce in Zulu's culture. You don't have to chase your wife,” she said.

Considered to be the “lion of the nation”, the King of Zulu is a trustee of centuries -old traditions that put marriage and polygamy at the heart of royal success.

His role in South Africa can only be ceremonial, but he remains extremely influential, with a government -funded annual budget of several million dollars.

The monarch – who grew up in the neighboring Eswatini, studied in the United States and came to the throne in 2021 – seems to be in court disputes.

His coronation was challenged in court by his older half-brother, who tries to grab the crown from him.

His second marriage seems to be trembling, his attempt to take a third wife struck the buffers, and there are reports of another distance with a young princess.

However, the problematic personal life of the 50-year-old youth was discussed in muted tones-until he submitted divorce documents in December.

Prof. Mazibuko admitted that a Zulu monarch in the 20th century had divorced one of his queens, but it was a “top royal secret”, given that the royal divorce was not the norm.

“If the marriage does not work, the wife will still live in the King's farm. She will receive her own space. She will have no connection with the King, but she and her children will be well processed.”

Just before he joined the throne – after the sudden death of his father and his mother four years ago – then Prince Missulo married Ntocozo Maisella.

The two were already a couple and had two children together, but according to another cultural expert, Professor Musa Sulu of the University of Zulland, the decision to marry appeared to be hurried.

“He seemed to feel that he could not be a king without a spouse,” he told the BBC.

Queen Kamaiselle comes from the “ordinary family” – as many wives of Zulu Kings do – in a small mining city in the Quazulu -Naal province.

It was as a singer of a cabaret who was performing a restaurant in the coastal town of Darkban that she caught the royal eye, Academica said.

Her senior status in the family became clear in the state coronation of the King in December 2022 when she was sitting next to him.

But her position is now threatened, with the monarch saying in court documents that they have not lived as a husband and wife for at least a year and their marriage has irreversibly disintegrated.

The palace followed this by sending invitations to the King's wedding to Nova Bride, Nomzamo Myeni, which is due to be held in late January. The price of the bride, known as the Lobola, was already paid in cattle – a valuable asset in Zulu's culture.

Queen Kamaisella did not take any of this lying down, creating separate judicial action to stop the wedding, which was delayed as a result.

Her argument was that the king – known to his subjects as “Igonyama”, which means Leo – would commit the crime of Bigamius without first “turning” her civil marriage to her into a traditional marriage of Zulu.

But the judge dumped her case, saying that she had a “turn” in her attitude, as she had already agreed that her husband could take other wives.

He noted that the monarch had already done this – he married a nost Camula, a doctor of the Eswatini bank, in 2022.

Prof. Mazibuko explained that polygamy was not initially part of Zulu's culture, in fact the first two kings were bachelor.

But he was hugged by their heirs – King Misululo is the ninth monarch of the Zulu nation – as a way to build allies.

Queen Camules comes from an influential family in Esvatini and marriage was apparently agreed to strengthen The links between royal familiesS

However, it is not clear whether the couple is still in relationships, as the power banker has not been noticed by Zulu's cultural events for some time – with speculation their final marriage rituals are not completed.

The various problems with the marriage of the current king seem to be derived from the fact that tradition has not fallen properly.

In the case of the first wife, he chose a modern marriage without a traditional wedding.

“In order to refine a marriage under the custom of Zulu, there must be a public gathering, with a song and a dance,” said Prof. Sulu.

“You, like the bride, have to take a solo song and the bride's dancing dancing with you, and you wear a copy you give to the King – and then there is no going back.”

This left Queen Kamaisella without a tradition – and only the proposal for monthly support of $ 1,100 (850 British pounds) for one year, although he is likely to ask for more before returning to the life of the ordinary, said Prof. Sulu.

In the case of the second wife, the academic said that the Lobola was paid in January 2022, but the royal internal persons suggest that the king believes that “those who paid to pay did not have the power to do it” – plus this union was not marked by a public ceremony.

The Virgin of the future third wife, Nomzamo Mayeni, remain unclear, as the King failed to marry her in January, although the court gave ahead.

Prof. Kesulu said that in Zulu's culture there is a “delayed” marriage is usually never pursued.

Although d -ja myeni is still visible to the King, Accompanying him at a state event last week where she was referred to as a queenAssuming their wedding may take place after the king's divorce passes.

Still, as ordinary, she would not bring powerful ties with her, which is why perhaps one of the assistants of the monarch, who recently confirmed to the local media, had a “new queen that should be” Sichle Mdluli, who was native to the royal family of a small ethnic group in South Africa.

The helper suggested that she could be called the “mother of the nation” – a title that would make her the oldest queen with her children probably heirs.

But Prof. Sulu said it would not be surprised if this wedding also failed to take place, as all the King's relationship seemed to be in trouble.

“I'm not sure if he is ready to be a king and whether he has good advisers,” the academic said.

He pointed out that the monarch was also irregular in his public life, dismissing several senior officials in his retinue.

On top of that, he has installed as chairman of the Council of a financially lucrative land reed, of which he is the only trustee.

The Trust was contradictory shortly before South Africa became a democracy in 1994, which gave him a control of about 2.8 million hectares (seven million acres) land in Quazulu-Nal.

King Misululo has also stopped all board members, a lawyer, accusing them that they are not cooperating.

He did this against the government's advice, which stated that as a chairman he would be required to take into account parliament for trust operations – something that would not be in line with his status as a constitutional monarch.

The dispute remains unresolved, giving the government a great political headache as it tries to avoid head to the head with the King.

Prof. Sulu said that it would not be surprised if at one point a powerful rival faction in the royal family began a new candidacy to dethroned him, asking the courts to rule that he was not “appropriate and appropriate” to be king.

The Monarch's half-Brother brother, Prince Simakade Zulu, who is the eldest son of the late king, has long wished the crown, but his supporters were surpassed by Misululu allies in discussions.

Later, President Ramafosa gave Misuzulu a “confession certificate”, making the way to be funded by the government.

But Prince Simakade's supporters did not give up – he went to the Supreme Court to declare his state coronation “illegal” – and won.

The Court ruled that President Ramafosa had not complied with the law, which requires him to order an investigation of objections to Missul's accession.

The status quo remains, waiting for the result of the appeal.

The scandals over King Misulu's privacy – especially his divorce – have the potential to weaken their position if he reaches another reflection on the crown.

Although prof.

“He is not the first king to go through a lot,” she said. “I hope he survives and everything calms down.”