International royals. Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini has died at the age of Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini has died at the age of 72, it was announced this morning. Latest posts. King Philippe pays tribute to war fallen in homage to Unknown Soldier 12th November But Chief Buthelezi often used him and Zulu nationalism to shore up his political position as head of the Inkatha Freedom Party, a bitter rival of the ANC, which under Nelson Mandela led the fight against apartheid.
King Zwelithini helped to bring the Zulu nation into the new political system by persuading Chief Buthelezi and his party to take part in South Africa's first democratic elections in After the end of apartheid, there were times when the Zulu king praised the apartheid government - he had said the National Party had built a strong economy and that the ANC government had destroyed the gains of the past.
It is not clear who among the king's 28 children will succeed him - this is something the Zulu royal family will be expected to advise on. Image source, Reuters. King Goodwill Zwelithini R was being treated for diabetes-related issues. Africa Live: Updates on this and other stories. The straight-talking king. Five things about King Goodwill Zwelithini:. Image source, Getty Images. Named successor to the throne at just 20 years old in Not crowned until because he went into hiding after receiving death threats Role was ceremonial but still hugely influential Reigned as king of the Zulu nation for five decades Leaves behind six wives and 28 children.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page. Goodwill Zwelithini, the controversial but revered king of the Zulus, South Africa's largest ethnic group, died Friday aged 72 after weeks in hospital for a diabetes-related illness, the royal palace announced. The king wielded great influence among millions of Zulus and beyond through his largely ceremonial and spiritual role, despite having no official power in modern South Africa.
In a short statement, the palace said the king "took a turn for the worse and he subsequently passed away in the early hours of this morning". Born in Nongoma, a small town in the south-eastern Kwa-Zulu Natal province, Zwelithini ascended the throne in during the apartheid era.
No succession plans have been divulged yet. His body will be taken from a Durban hospital to the palace in Nongoma, around kilometres away, to lie in state for "a couple of days", said Mangosuthu Buthelezi, a powerful veteran politician who is also a Zulu prince. President Cyril Ramaphosa has granted the king a special official funeral of the type usually reserved for presidents and ex-presidents. During a half-century-long reign, Zwelithini revived festivals celebrating virgin women, was blamed for fuelling deadly xenophobic violence, slammed gays as "rotten" and enjoyed a lavish and hedonistic lifestyle in a country where millions live in poverty.
Nevertheless, Ramaphosa said the king "will be remembered as a much-loved, visionary monarch who made an important contribution to cultural identity, national unity and economic development". Returning from hiding over assassination fears, Zwelithini was crowned the eighth Zulu monarch at the age of Under the white-minority regime which ended in , kings ruled homelands where most blacks were confined to defuse broader national struggles.
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