Royal families across the country have praised the late King Goodwill Zwelithini as a man who served his people with diligence and a beacon of hope for traditional leadership on the continent.
King Goodwill Zwelithini KaBhekuzulu died on Friday after spending weeks in hospital.
The Bapedi nation spokesperson Ntoampe Mampuru said they were also saddened that King Zwelithini had died when the two kingdoms were in a process of reviving their ancestral ties.
"We send our deepest condolences to the entire Zulu nation including Prince Mangosothu Buthelezi. The relationship between the two kingdoms dates back during the time of King Cetshwayo and King Sekhukhune I, and the process to preserve and renew such ties was under way" he said.
Mampuru said it was Cetshwayo who ascended to the north to meet Sekhukhune in 1600 as he wanted to purchase an assortment of firearms for his army.
"King Sekhukhune was the only one who had guns and he then sold some of them to King Cetshwayo," he said.
The kingdom of Vhavenda also expressed its deep shock at King Zwelithini's death. The kingdom spokesperson chief Mbangiseni Masia said the nation will miss the king's inputs on traditional affairs.
"All the kingdoms in the country had started to have programmes on how to develop their own areas and King Zwelithini was a key role player in the discussion," he said.
Masia said His Majesty King Toni Ramabulana has called on the Zulu nation to find strength and comfort during this difficult time.
King Zwelithini, 73, was the older brother of AmaRharhabe Queen Noloyiso Sandile, who died due to Covid-19 complications last July.
Prince Zolile Burns-Ncamashe, spokesperson for the AmaRharhabe kingdom, said: “We can only hope that the royal family and the entire Zulu nation will accept that Almighty God has called the king to the upper calling. This is the longest reigning monarch in Africa and the second-longest reigning monarch in the world. The legacy that he has left behind is colossal and all of us must ensure that it is engraved in the annals of our historical records.”
Prince Ntandoyesizwe Ndamase, speaking on behalf of King Ndamase Ndamase of AmaMpondo AseNyandeni, said the royal house had a long history with the Zulu kingdom.
He said King Tutor Nyangilizwe Vulindlela Ndamase was married to a Zulu princess, Queen Thandiwe Jessica Ndamase, the daughter of King Cyprian Bhekuzulu KaSolomon, the father of King Goodwill Zwelithini. In that marriage, a second born child was a boy, His Majesty King Makaziwe Mvuzo Mabalengwe Ndamase, the father of King Ndamase Ndamase.
“As a kingdom and blood relatives to the Zulu royal house we are also mourning the passing of King Goodwill Zwelithini. He was a beacon of hope and the embodiment of our culture and tradition. He promoted customs and served his people with diligence and humility. We have lost a colossal of the institution of traditional leadership,” Ndamase said.
The chairperson of the Mpumalanga house of traditional leaders iNkosi Sandile Ngomane said they are shattered by the death of King Goodwill Zwelithini.
He said the king was a symbol of unity and peace among black indigenous people, not only in South Africa but the entire continent.
“He was a symbol of unity amongst black peoples not only in South Africa but the entire continent of Africa. We as the Ngomanes, who left KwaZulu-Natal ages ago due to wars, we still respect the Zulu kingdom as part of the people who were there during its formation. We are passing our deepest condolences to the family and also the Zulu nation and the whole country," Ngomane said.
Prince Stanley Peterson of the royal hose of the Griqua nation said the country had lost a great leader.
“As a king he stood firm for his people, the Zulu nation…We’ve lost a great leader who stood up for his people. A leader that was not afraid to speak up when government was doing wrong or anybody doing wrong. We’ve lost a strong leader who protected the culture and tradition of his people,” said Peterson.
Spokesperson of the Khomani San community in the Northern Cape, Collins Louw, also sent condolences from Queen Katriena Esau.
“It is tragic to hear about the passing of such an honest leader, a person who was committed to his followers. It is a great lost for traditional leadership in general. As the Khomani San community, we want to send our heartfelt condolences to the Zulu kingdom,” he said.
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