Scandal hits the Zulu Kingdom as the wife of King Misuzulu implores the court to block his third marriage
‘I don’t want my name to be part of destroying traditions,' said Queen Ntokozo kaMayisela, first wife of King Misuzulu kaZwelithini
King of the Zulu nation, Misuzulu KaZwelithini, has been embroiled in a scandal involving his wife Queen Ntokozo Mayisela, in a moment that has brought the kingdom's polyamorous traditions into conflict with South African law
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Scandal has struck the Zulu royal family as the first wife of King Misuzulu kaZwelithini seeks to prevent his third marriage. Polyamory is custom among the Zulu royals, but it has emerged that Queen Ntokozo kaMayisela, 39, has asked the courts to block King Misuzulu’s planned union with Nomzamo Myeni this February.
While Queen Ntokozo (who married Misuzulu in 2021, before he succeeded the throne) did not object to him taking a second wife, Queen Nozizwe, in 2022, she has now stated that her husband failed to inform her of his plans to marry for a third time. If he were to do so, she explained to the High Court in Pietermaritzburg, it would be both illegal and a source of strife for the royal family – who have been embroiled in a succession crisis.
The problem at hand, said Queen Ntokozo, is the difference between a ‘civil’ marriage, one that is binding under South African law, and a ‘customary’ marriage, one that proceeds according to Zulu tradition. The pair underwent a civil marriage, making it illegal per South African law for the King to marry again.