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King Goodwill Zwelithini speaking at the ceremony to celebrate 40 years as monarch held in Ondini Cultural Museum in Ulundi on the 27 August 2011 – By Reinhardth –

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu

King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu was born on 27th July 1948. From 1968 until his death, he was the Zulu nation’s king.

At the age of 20, he succeeded his father, King Cyprian Bhekuzulu, as king in 1968. Prince Israel Mcwayizeni served as the regent from 1968 to 1971.

This was during the King’s three-year exile in the then Transkei province of South Africa to prevent the assassination. After turning 21 and getting married for the first time, Zwelithini was crowned the eighth Zulu king.

The crowning took place at a traditional ceremony at Nongoma on 3 December 1971. Zwelithini passed away on March 12, 2021, at the age of 72, after allegedly being hospitalized for a diabetes-related illness.

Now let’s look at the top 10 amazing facts about Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu the Zulu King.

1. Zwelithini Was Chairman of The Ingonyama Trust

The Ingonyama Trust is a corporate entity established to administer the land traditionally owned by the king. This was for the benefit, material welfare, and social well-being of the Zulu nation.

The King served as the Ingonyama Trust’s chairman. This land makes up about 32% of the area of KwaZulu-Natal. Zwelithini was fiercely dedicated to defending his traditional tribal land. He warned the government against attempts at expropriating land managed by the Ingonyama Trust.

2. Zwelithini Revived Cultural Functions Such as Umhlanga and The Ukweshwama

As the custodian of Zulu traditions and customs, King Zwelithini restored cultural events like the Umhlanga. Umhlanga is a colorful and symbolic reed dance ceremony that promotes moral awareness and AIDS education among Zulu women. He also revived the Ukweshwama. This is the first fruit ceremony which is a traditional function involving certain traditional rituals including the killing of a bull. Animal Rights Africa filed a complaint in November 2009 against the latter event. They alleged that the method of killing the animal was cruel and barbaric.

3. In June 1994, Zwelithini Conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Agriculture

In June 1994, the University of Zululand conferred an honorary doctorate in agriculture upon the king. He served as Chancellor of the South African branch of the American-based Newport University.

Zwelithini also received an honorary doctorate in law from Coker College in South Carolina in March 1999. He took office as Chancellor of the ML Sultan Technikon in KwaZulu-Natal in the first half of 2001.

4. At Age 20, He Became the Seventh Zulu King

Goodwill Zwelithini, King of the Zulus, and Major General James Swift, British Army – by Unknown Author –

Zwelithini became King after the death of his father, King Cyprian Bhekuzulu kaSolomon, in 1968. Aged 20 years old Zwelithini assumed his birthright as the heir to the Zulu throne. For the youthful King, assuming authority in apartheid-era South Africa was risky.

5. Forced into Exile to St. Helena

The young King Zwelithini was driven into exile on St. Helena as soon as his father passed away. This was because he feared for his safety back home.

From 1968 to 1971, Prince Israel Mcwayizeni served as the regent while the King sought safety in South Africa’s Transkei province for three years.

Zwelithini was crowned as the seventh Zulu king after his 21st birthday and his first marriage. This occurred on December 3, 1971, during a ceremonial gathering in Nongoma that 20,000 people attended.

6. Bitter Relations with Mangosuthu Buthelezi

Although the two outstanding Zulu leaders are related, their public feuding began in the 1990s. However, as the annual Shaka Zulu celebration approached in September 1994, friction between the once-aligned kinsmen reached a public peak.

Rumors that the King was maneuvering to replace Buthelezi as Zulu prime minister with former regent Prince Mcwayizeni. Federal troops were assigned to protect Zwelithini against Buthelezi’s potential for a politically motivated attack.

When the King’s spokesperson was being interviewed for television at the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s studio, an infamous altercation occurred. Buthelezi and his men aggressively stopped the show while it was airing live and physically intimidated the King’s spokesperson.

The publicly broadcast incident drew national attention and Mandela’s public criticism. It caused Buthelezi to apologize for his actions to the Zulu Royal Family, Cabinet, and nation. Since then, the relationship between Zwelithini and Buthelezi improved.

7. 6 Wives and 28 Children

Group of children by Ian Ingalula from

28 children were born to King Goodwill Zwelithini’s six marriages. He wed Queen Sibongile Dlamini as his first wife in 1969, two years before he was crowned monarch. The couple has five kids.

He wed Queen Buthle MaMathe, his second wife, in 1974. They have eight kids in total. The third wife, Queen Mantfombi Dlamini, is Mswati III of Swaziland’s sister. They got married in 1977 and have eight kids together.

In 1988, he wed his fourth wife, Queen Thandekile Ndlovu. They have three children. He married Nompumelelo Mchiza on 25 July 1992 as his fifth wife and they had three children together. Zola Zelusiwe Mafu was betrothed to King Zwelithini in 2006 and married in 2014. They had only one child.

8. Claimed to Have Been Mistranslated in His Remarks on Same-Sex Relationships

Pride flags by Filmbetrachter from

Speaking during a ceremony honoring the 133rd anniversary of the Battle of Isandlwana in January 2012, the King said controversial things regarding same-sex partnerships, calling them “rotten.”

President Jacob Zuma, the LGBT community, and the South African Human Rights Commission all condemned the remarks. Since 2006, same-sex marriages are permitted in South Africa.

The king later reneged, claiming that his words had been mistranslated and that he had not condemned same-sex relationships.

9. Accused of Xenophobic Remarks

March against xenophobia in South Africa, Johannesburg, 23 April 2015 – By Dyltong – Wikipedia

Speaking at a community gathering in Pongolo in March 2015, Zwelithini acknowledged that other nations had contributed to South Africa’s liberation. He however added that this did not give them the right to compete with locals for limited resources.

He argued that he was free to express what politicians could not and pleaded with immigrants to go back to their home countries. His remarks came at a time when there was an increase in hostility between South Africans and outsiders. Violence had erupted in Soweto in January.

The opposition Democratic Alliance demanded a public apology and retraction of the remarks, calling them irresponsible. The king then clarified that he was simply referring to people who were in South Africa illegally.

10. The King’s Biography Was Published In 2003

King of Goodwill, The King’s Official Biography, was released in 2003. The musical dramatization of this work premiered at the Market Theatre, Johannesburg on 16 March 2005.