King Misuzulu kaZwelitini sought medical attention in Eswatini. Photo: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images via Getty Images
Palace intrigue and mystery surrounded the health of South Africa's Zulu king on Sunday after claims he had been poisoned and taken to hospital.
The claim that King Misuzulu kazvelitini is seriously ill, was made by Mangosuthu Buthelezi, a veteran South African politician and Zulu chief who is traditionally the Prime Minister of the Zulu monarch.
He raised the alarm after the recent death of Douglas Xaba, the king's senior aide.
“I have been informed that the senior Indian [advisor] of His Majesty, Mr. Khaba, who was staying with the King, died quite suddenly and that there is a suspicion that he was poisoned. When His Majesty felt unwell, he suspected that he, too, might have been poisoned,” Chief Buthelezi said in a statement.
The King immediately sought medical attention in Eswatini, a tiny neighboring country formerly known as Swaziland. .
“His Majesty was not comfortable seeking treatment in South Africa, as his parents were treated in South Africa and subsequently died,” Chief Buthelezi said.
But the claim that the king was poisoned was rejected by the authorities. of the royal court.
The king's head of communications, Prince Africa Zulu, insisted that the monarch is in «excellent health.»
Routine medical examination
Reports that the king was taken to hospital during the timing of his visit to Eswatini were false, he said. During the visit, he simply underwent a scheduled medical examination.
The Prince said it was a precautionary measure during «current pandemics such as Covid-19 and other dangerous diseases.»
«His Majesty's Office has decided to err on the side of caution given reports of Mr. on Khaby,” he said.
The allegation that the King was poisoned was part of a “planned agenda and desperate narrative aimed at spreading slanderous and unfounded allegations of His Majesty’s ill health,” the statement said. royal office.
«Motives are unclear at this stage, but the King remains aware that the political environment is ripe due to the upcoming political election cycle,» the royal family said.
South Africa will hold a general election in 2024.< /p>
The aim of the statements was «to create unnecessary panic and a sense of instability in the royal crown.»
For weeks, there have been reports of tension between the king and Mr. Buthelezi, founder of the Inkata Freedom Party.< /p>
And within the royal family, a power struggle arose over the accession of King Misuzulu, who was crowned in October 2022.
There is a faction among the members of the Zulu royal family that claims that he should not have inherited his father, the late King Goodwill Zwelitini, who died in 2021 from diabetes-related illnesses. They insist that the late king's other son, Prince Shimakade, is a legitimate claimant to the throne.
The issue of succession is complicated, as the late king had six wives and over 20 children.
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