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King Goodwill Zwelithini died on Friday morning. (Jabulani Langa)
- The KZN government declared plans for a week of national mourning.
- Goodwill King Zwelithini He will have a private burial on Wednesday.
- On Sunday, Several high-profile leaders were at the royal palace to pay their last respects.
The Zulu royal family has criticized the newspapers, City Press and Sunday Times, for the obituaries of King Goodwill Zwelithini ka Bhekuzulu, which were published on Sunday.
The family described the pieces as “vulgar lies.”
Prince Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi said in a statement: “We have been struck by the vulgar lies spread in two national newspapers by the City Press editor and in the Sunday Times obituary. His Majesty the King has not yet been charged.” to rest. Yet while a nation suffers, these journalists have taken it upon themselves to ridicule our pain. You cannot imagine such sadistic cruelty. “
City Press editor-in-chief Mondli Makhanya wrote on Sunday that Zwelithini “should be remembered for his most prominent role in our history: a useful idiot in the hands of the apartheid government, whose willingness to lend his powerful position in the service of that regime cost tens of thousands of lives. “
READ | King Goodwill Zwelithini: The Useful Idiot of Apartheid
Buthelezi said the family is also unaware of a press conference held at the royal palace.
“We are informed that a press conference has been called in the royal palace, where I am now, [which says] ‘on behalf of the Royal Family’, however, the family has not found out about this. It is unfortunate that, at a time like this, there are differences of opinion on how matters should be handled, despite the clear protocols that everyone knows, ”he said.
READ | King Goodwill Zwelithini died of complications related to Covid-19 – Buthelezi
Plans for a week of national mourning were declared by the KwaZulu-Natal government.
The Zulu Royal Family has thanked South Africans for their messages of condolences on the death of the king.
“On behalf of the Zulu Royal Family, we thank the people of South Africa and the people of our nation for expressing such deep respect for His Majesty the King. It lightens the burden of pain knowing that we walk through this valley flanked by endless regiments of support.” Buthelezi said.
He said the king will have a private burial on Wednesday.
The funeral arrangements have been modified, with a memorial prayer service taking place on Thursday.
Several high-profile leaders were at the Kwakhethomthandayo Royal Palace in Nongoma to pay their last respects.
It included Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Police Minister Bheki Cele, and KZN Prime Minister Sihle Zikalala.
Zwelithini died in the early hours of Friday morning due to complications from Covid-19.
He was the oldest monarch in the Zulu nation, having reigned for more than 50 years.
