South Africa’s Zulu King, Misuzulu kaZwelithini, is reportedly undergoing treatment in a hospital for suspected poisoning, according to Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the traditional prime minister.
Chief Buthelezi stated that the king sought medical attention in Eswatini as he felt uncomfortable receiving treatment in South Africa. The suspicion of poisoning arose following the sudden death of one of the king’s senior advisers.
In his statement, Chief Buthelezi said King Misuzulu’s senior aide, Douglas Xaba who stayed with him, “passed on quite suddenly and that there are suspicions that he was poisoned”.
“When His Majesty began to feel unwell, he suspected that he too may have been poisoned.
“He immediately sought out medical treatment in Eswatini. I am informed that His Majesty felt uncomfortable seeking treatment in South Africa, as his parents had both received treatment in South Africa and subsequently died,” Chief Buthelezi said.
However, the king’s official spokesman, Prince Africa Zulu, refuted the claims and stated that the king was in “perfect health.”
Prince Africa Zulu clarified that the king was not currently hospitalized and urged against creating unnecessary panic, indirectly referring to Chief Buthelezi’s statement.
In his subsequent statement, Prince Africa said there appeared to be an “orchestrated agenda and a desperate narrative to communicate defamatory and baseless claims” about the king’s health.
“Ultimately, this creates unnecessary panic and perceptions of instability in the Royal Crown,” he added.
However, Prince Africa confirmed the monarch had undergone a thorough medical examination in Eswatini while visiting his uncle, King Mswati III.
The checks were carried out because of “our current times of pandemics such as Covid-19 and other dangerous ailments”, and also “to mitigate against any untimely eventuality, given the reports of Mr Xaba’s sudden passing”.
King Misuzulu was crowned in a grand ceremony in October last year. However, a fierce power struggle has unfolded within the royal family over his ascension, and tensions have also emerged between the monarch and Chief Buthelezi.