'King's appointment above board'

THE Supreme Court of Appeal challenge by President Cyril Ramaphosa against the high court judgment that set aside the president's recognition of King Misuzulu kaZwelithini as King of the Zulu Nation was not about the legitimacy of the king, but about the legality of the process.

- ZELDA VENTER

Advocate Morumo Moerane SC, who argued on behalf of Ramaphosa, said yesterday that the identification of King Misuzulu as Zulu king was done in accordance with Zulu customary law.

Moerane said it was the right of the president to (recognise) the king, if he had already been identified by the Royal Family in terms of customary law. The question is not whether King Misuzulu is the suitable king, but whether the president has acted lawfully in confirming the king identified by the royal family, Moerane argued.

He told the court that during a meeting held on May 14, 2021, where members of the royal family were present, King Misuzulu was lawfully identified as the next Zulu King. It was all done in accordance with law, Moerane said.

The president's appeal followed a Gauteng High Court, Pretoria judgment in 2023 when it was found that his recognition of King Misuzulu was unlawful and invalid. King Misuzulu's uncle, Prince Mbonisi, and his brother, Prince Simakade, approached the high court claiming that the identification of the king was not done in accordance with the law.