The Zulu royal house says it stands by its assertion that controversial women’s rights activist Sihle Sibisi is an intruder and extortionist who forced her way into the royal household and started ‘misbehaving’.
The Star carried a story last week in which Sibisi was accused of intruding on the royal house and even sitting in meetings with the king.
On Wednesday Sibisi, through a Facebook live video, lamented how she lost business because of the article. An emotional Sibisi showed her followers pictures of herself with King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, asking: “How can I be an intruder if I have pictures of myself with the king?”
Spokesperson for the royal family, Prince Thulani Zulu lambasted Sibisi, saying he was concerned after seeing pictures of the king posted all over social media. “I have just returned home and have not seen this woman. But from what I see, this is a big concern. It is not allowed for people to take pictures of the king and the royal house. It is something that needs to be looked into. All I know is that if she claims that she is a queen that really puzzles me because we do not know that. To me she is an intruder who came into the royal house to do strange things,” Prince Thulani said.
He said Sibisi’s matter deserves special attention from everyone within the royal household.
“This issue demands that we meet at the royal house and find out what is happening. I have seen this danger and from where I am sitting, it is not good at all for the king to be talked about on social media. For me this is unbecoming behaviour as it reduces the reputation of the king and the royal house. We still need to sit and establish what happened but at a glance all this talking about the king on social media is putting the royal household into disrepute,” he said.
“I do not know her and have never met, except from what I have seen on social media. But I received a call from her asking why she is being called an intruder. I do not know her or anything about her. It’s surprising if you hear someone you don’t know was in your home, the royal house, taking videos of the king. That is intrusion,” Prince Zulu said.
On Wednesday, Sibisi, who has been described by various people as “manipulative, opportunistic and cunning”, stormed the offices of The Star demanding a retraction and secretly recorded a conversation with a journalist and posted it on social media, where she continued her tirade about being called an intruder.
Sibisi, who runs a movement called ‘Kwanele Foundation’, which, according to its social media pages, fights gender-based violence, also appeared on Moja Love’s TV show Abafundisi where she exposed disingenuous pastors.
Sibisi has denied intruding on the royal house and has asked how she got pictures of herself and the king if she was intruding.
After receiving questions from The Star, Sibisi again asked to come to the newspaper’s headquarters to explain her side of the story.
She later told this paper that she would respond after consulting with her lawyers.