Zulu war of succession: Hundreds of warriors escort Queen Mantfombi’s body through Johannesburg

Mourners have turned out in leopardskin regalia ahead of the funeral for Zulu Queen Mantfombi, rumoured to have been poisoned after she was named successor to the late king.

Hundreds of Zulu warriors with cowhide shields escorted the queen’s body through the streets of Johannesburg on Wednesday ahead of a private funeral held in the ancestral lands today.

The pageantry masks a bitter war of succession being waged within the palace among King Goodwill Zwelithini’s five surviving wives and 28 children – not just for the title but for the vast wealth and land which goes with it.

There have been lurid allegations, including that the king’s will was forged and that Mantfombi was assassinated.

Princess Thembi, one of Zwelithini’s sisters, denied the claims last week, complaining to reporters: ‘People think we’re murderers.’ 

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini gestures to his supporters at The Moses Mabhida Football Stadium in Durban in 2018

Queen Mantfombi, 65,  died suddenly on April 30 just weeks after she was made regent when her husband King Goodwill Zwelithini died

(From L) Zulu Queens Queen Sibongile Dlamini, Queen Buhle Mathe, late Queen Mantfombi Dlamini, Queen Thandekile Ndlovu and Queen Nompumelelo Mamchiza attend the festival of 'Zulu 200' celebrating the existence of the Zulu Nation at the King Shaka International airport in Durban on September 22, 2013

(From L) Zulu Queens Queen Sibongile Dlamini, Queen Buhle Mathe, late Queen Mantfombi Dlamini, Queen Thandekile Ndlovu and Queen Nompumelelo Mamchiza attend the festival of ‘Zulu 200’ celebrating the existence of the Zulu Nation at the King Shaka International airport in Durban on September 22, 2013

Mantfombi, known as the ‘great queen,’ was named interim successor in the king’s will after his death on March 12. 

She died unexpectedly in hospital of an unspecified illness on April 30, though there is no evidence of any foul play. 

It had been expected that her eldest son 47-year-old Prince Misuzulu would be next line.

But in a dramatic turn of events, Zwelithini’s first wife, Queen Sibongile Dlamini, went to challenge the king’s will and demand recognition as his only legitimate spouse. 

A handwriting expert has reportedly been hired to try to prove that the king’s signatures was forged.

The first wife, Sibongile Dlamini, and her daughters by Zwelithini are taking their legal challenge to Pietermaritzburg High Court in a court battle that is captivating South Africa.

Sibongile Dlamini is demanding half of his estate, as well as sole recognition that she is the only legal wife of the late king.  

Although the title of Zulu king does not bestow executive power, the charismatic Zwelithini had moral influence over more than 11 million Zulus, nearly a fifth of South Africa’s population. 

The king also enjoys an annual taxpayer-funded budget of more than £3.5 million and controls around a third of the land in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, charging rent.

On Wednesday, hundreds of mourners paraded through the Johannesburg suburb of Hillbrow to accompany Mantfombi’s body, singing and dancing as they made their way to the mortuary under a clear autumn sky.

Zulu regiments known as ‘amaButho’, donned traditional leopardskin ponchos and headbands, wielding clubs and shields made of animal hide.

Young women wore colourful miniskirts and beads, while their elderly married counterparts followed in head wraps and patterned shawls.

‘Our wounds had not healed from the passing of the king, now the queen has followed,’ said mourner Jabu Mangena, dressed in black and wearing a broad-brimmed red hat.

‘We will remember her as a woman who was proud of her culture and heritage,’ she said.

Mourners will accompany the queen’s remains to KwaKhangelamankengane Royal Palace in the southeastern town of Nongoma, around 300 miles from Johannesburg, where she will be buried privately on Thursday.

‘In line with her wishes, as was done for… the King, her majesty will be interred at the crack of dawn in a private burial,’ Zulu prince and traditional prime minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi said in a statement.

A memorial service will be held a day after the funeral that will be marked by flags flying half-mast across Kwa-Zulu Natal province.