Zulu king's first wife fails to halt third marriage

The archetypal woman of South Africa's Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has failed successful her ineligible effort to halt his plans to instrumentality a 3rd wife.

Queen Ntokozo kaMayisela went to tribunal up of what was expected to beryllium the wedding aboriginal this week.

But contempt the ruling, it is not wide whether the wedding volition inactive spell up arsenic planned.

On Saturday, South African media quoted a missive reportedly from the king saying the ceremonial had been called disconnected "due to reasons beyond the power of the royal house".

Polygamous marriages are recognised successful South Africa but lone if they are registered arsenic customary weddings.

This latest enactment comes amid a bid of scandals that has deed King Misuzulu since helium came to powerfulness conscionable implicit 2 years ago.

The Zulu king does not person ceremonial governmental powerfulness and the monarch's relation wrong broader South African nine is mostly ceremonial, but helium remains hugely influential with a yearly government-funded fund of respective cardinal dollars.

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Before helium was enthroned, the king joined Mayisela successful 2021 successful a civilian marriage.

In her ineligible statement heard successful the precocious tribunal connected Monday, the queen, done her lawyer, said that the king could not wed anyone other arsenic their matrimony was inactive successful force.

Under South African law, a civilian matrimony indispensable either beryllium dissolved oregon converted to a accepted national earlier a antheral tin instrumentality immoderate much wives.

It is not wide wherefore the matrimony declaration was not an contented erstwhile the king took a 2nd wife, Queen Nozizwe Mulela-Zulu, backmost successful 2022. But according to South Africa's play Sunday World newspaper, citing a missive the queen had written to elders successful the Zulu royal house, the mates had agreed to person their matrimony from civilian to traditional.

The duo, fixed the enactment of either divorcing and remarrying oregon applying for the conversion by their ineligible team, seemingly opted to bash the second but King Misuzulu "decided to alteration his mind" for chartless reasons, the queen reportedly said.

In rejecting Monday's exertion to halt the king's matrimony to Nomzamo Myeni, Judge Bongani Mngadi said that arsenic the queen had already consented to the thought that her hubby could wed different women, she could not forestall a ceremonial from taking place.

Despite the reported letter, arsenic good arsenic the king's lawyer successful court, saying that the wedding would not instrumentality place, contradictory statements person besides emerged.

South African quality tract TimesLIVE is reporting that the bride-to-be said she knew thing astir the missive and arsenic acold arsenic she understood, her wedding would proceed arsenic initially planned.

According to different quality site, IOL, which reportedly spoke to the couple, the king insisted that helium loved Myeni and would "marry her by force".

Since his coronation successful October 2022, determination has been contention astir immoderate of the decisions King Misuzulu has made.

In December, helium unlawfully suspended the committee of the Ingonyama Trust, which owns and controls immense tracts of communal onshore successful KwaZulu-Natal, which is expected to beryllium for the payment and payment of communities nether the king's enactment successful the region.

King Misuzulu is the sole trustee and chairperson of the spot but has nary powers to prosecute oregon occurrence committee members.

He has besides precocious summarily fired 2 adjacent aides, including his accepted premier minister, successful speedy succession - moves which raised eyebrows among royal watchers.

Misuzulu's presumption arsenic king is besides being questioned by immoderate and a ineligible lawsuit is presently nether mode challenging his designation arsenic monarch by the state.

He ascended to the throne sooner than expected aft his father, King Goodwill Zwelithini, died during the Covid pandemic successful March 2021 of diabetes-related complications.

Zwelithini was the Zulu nation's longest-reigning monarch, having served connected the throne for astir 50 years.