South Africa: Zulu royal files for divorce in shake up of customs

African monarchs are important figures in their countries. In South Africa, many Zulu people are strongly tied to the royal family and indigenous laws of dispute resolution, including divorce. Polygamy is accepted and divorce is discouraged, even if a marriage is not working out.

But now AmaZulu king Misuzulu kaZwelithini has been in the headlines because he filed divorce papers against his first wife, Queen Ntokozo kaMayisela, in order to marry a fourth. The queen approached the court to stop the wedding, claiming that their civil marriage in 2021 – shortly after he became king – forbids remarriage without divorce. Her request was denied, but the king has not proceeded with the new marriage.

South Africans are talking about the case because the king is the custodian of Zulu custom. His divorce bid calls into question the changing position of indigenous laws on marriage and divorce. We asked Anthony Diala, a scholar of African customary law, how to make sense of things.

Who are the Zulu royals?

The Zulu royal family is a prominent lineage dating back to the 1500s. They rule the AmaZulu nation, whose estimated 10 million people are the largest ethnic group in South Africa, residing mainly in the KwaZulu-Natal province. They’re part of the Nguni people, sharing broader ancestral and linguistic roots.

Prominent Zulu royals include Shaka kaSenzangakhona, known as Shaka Zulu, who transformed the...

Read more