JOHN ELIGON
THE Zulu king’s son strutted the room holding a wooden scepter, leaving behind a praise singer who, admiring the supporters, chanted to the king’s past, “Bayede!” – Hail Your Majesty!
His crown-shaped lapel pin shimmered with gold and diamonds as he settled into a high-backed leather chair draped in a leopard-print fabric, keeping his guests standing until he began the interview.
The 47-year-old Misuzulu Zulu keeps himself like a king.
He is the son of King Goodwill Zwelithini, who died last year after a 50-year reign, and is a descendant of the family of King Shaka Zulu, whose bloody conquest to unify the Zulu kingdom two centuries earlier made him a mythical figure.
But Misuzulu’s claim as his successor has been strongly opposed. His father has left behind more than a dozen sons. And although Misuzulu has been blessed by many powerful members of the royal family as
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