Nongoma - Commenting for the first time on the killing of Dr Dumisani Khumalo, chairperson of the Osuthu royal council, King Misuzulu kaZwelithini said he was heartbroken by this act of barbarism.
He condemned the assassination, but said the killers should not rest, as the authorities were hot on their heels and they would be brought to book.
The king said this while bidding farewell to thousands of Zulu maidens who had convened at Enyokeni Royal Palace in Nongoma for the annual Zulu reed dance.
He said he was glad the reed dance ceremony had gone well until the killing of Khumalo.
“What is painful now is the killing of my headman, Dr Khumalo. Let me say this, my Zulu people: my heart is bleeding that this happened.
“We stop it, we condemn it, and we don’t want it to happen again. We don’t want this demon again. We are people of God. We worship a living God.
JUST IN: Commenting for the first following the killing of Dr Dumisani Khumalo, the chair of Osuthu royal council killed last night, King Misusulu says he is heartbroken. He condemned the assassination but said the killers should not rest as they are hot on their heels. @IOL
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) September 18, 2022
“We pray to God that those who did this are found. I swear to God, they will be found. We are hot on their heels, (and) we will find them,” the visibly heartbroken king said.
When the second day’s official proceedings started, the pensive-looking king took part in a moment of silence observed by the maidens and the guests on behalf of Khumalo.
The assassinated council member, Dr Dumisani Khumalo, was a confidant of the late King Goodwill Zwelithini and helped the current king, Misuzulu KaZwelithini, to wrestle the throne from his rival, Prince Simakade.
ENyokeni: Introducing King Misuzulu to address Zulu maidens for the last time at eNyokeni palace. Inkosi Sifiso Shinga ask the King to review the number of cows paid as ilobolo. He says what they want is to see maidens getting married and men affording to pay for them. @IOL
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) September 18, 2022
Information obtained by IOL shows that Khumalo, a retired school inspector, was shot at his home in Bethany, a village just outside Nongoma in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
It is alleged he was shot by unknown men around 11pm on Saturday. The suspects later fled the scene. The motive for the killing is unknown at present.
However, it is public knowledge that KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube was warned of the possibility of “bloodshed” if the reed dance was allowed to go ahead at the palace.
Some in the royal court deem it the seat of power for Prince Simakade, who is still fighting for the throne in the Pretoria High Court.
Meanwhile, when inviting King Misuzulu to address Zulu maidens for the last time before they departed from Enyokeni Royal Palace and went back to their homes, Inkosi Sifiso Shinga, the chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal House of Traditional Leaders, asked the king to review the number of cows paid as lobolo.
He said all they wanted as parents was to see maidens getting married and men being able to afford to pay for them in the current tough economic times.
“Your Majesty, we are always wishing the best for these maidens. We want to see them getting married and building families, whereas these days their partners are struggling to find jobs and pay the required lobolo.
“We wish to see the review (of lobolo), so that these maidens can have families, because cows are now very expensive,’’ Inkosi Shinga, from the Shinga clan on the KZN South Coast, suggested to the king.
There is an established belief that the original lobolo in Zulu society was not what is charged today. It is believed that British colonial governor Sir Theophilus Shepstone unilaterally hiked it to force men to go to work for white employers on the gold mines.
The king used the ceremony to pamper with gifts some of the maidens who were able to maintain their virginity until they had reached maturity age. Some of the maidens came from as far afield as Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
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