Zulu King considered disrupting SADC Summit

Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini says he considered sending traditional Zulu regiments to disrupt the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit in Durban after he believed he had been sidelined from the high-profile regional gathering.

The King made the remarks while addressing the annual uMkhosi woMhlanga, or Reed Dance, at eMachobeni Royal Palace in Ngwavuma, KwaZulu-Natal. He expressed frustration over major government and international events being held in KwaZulu-Natal without what he considers adequate consultation or recognition of the Zulu monarchy. Among the events he cited was the 46th SADC Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government, which was held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban on August 17.

The summit brought together regional leaders and representatives, including Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Eswatini King Mswati III. South Africa assumed the rotating SADC chairmanship at the meeting.

According to South African media reports, Misuzulu said he had been sufficiently angered by the perceived exclusion that he contemplated sending his amabutho, or traditional Zulu regiments, to the Durban venue to stop the proceedings. He argued that major meetings involving government, international leaders and the private sector should not take place in KwaZulu-Natal without the involvement of the traditional leadership.

The King also questioned why events involving matters such as land, minerals and other resources affecting traditional communities could be held in what he described as his territory without his knowledge. His remarks have, however, been challenged by South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), which says the King was officially invited.

In a statement issued on September 6, DIRCO said an official invitation had been extended to Misuzulu and that he was expected to attend both the official opening ceremony and the official banquet. “The Ministry confirms that an official invitation was duly extended to His Majesty,” DIRCO said, adding that it would engage the King's Private Office to establish what had caused the apparent misunderstanding. The dispute therefore appears to centre not simply on whether an invitation was issued, but on whether it was properly communicated and whether the King was sufficiently included in the summit's ceremonial and protocol arrangements.

The controversy comes amid wider questions about the relationship between South Africa's democratic government and traditional institutions, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, where the Zulu monarchy retains considerable cultural and symbolic influence. The SADC summit itself was focused on regional industrialisation, infrastructure development, agriculture and critical minerals. South Africa's eThekwini Municipality said the city had worked with national government, SADC structures, DIRCO and law enforcement agencies to prepare for the international gathering.

DIRCO has indicated that it intends to engage directly with the King's Private Office to resolve the disagreement. For now, the two accounts remain at odds: King Misuzulu says he was sidelined, while the government maintains that he was formally invited.

King Misuzulu SADC Summit