PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has handed over the official certificate of recognition to King MisuZulu kaZwelithini.
The ceremony took place on Saturday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.
The certificate of recognition confirms that the King has the powers to govern His Majesty’s area of jurisdiction in terms of custom, customary and applicable laws.
“I’m here to commit my government to working with his Majesty to change the lives of our people and to transform our rural areas into places of development and prosperity. I do so to recognize that our traditional leaders are the true custodians of the cultures, the customers and traditions that make us who we are,” said Ramaphosa.
“Substance abuse, crime and the abuse of women, children and the elderly are devastating our communities. Many of our rural areas suffer from poor services and lack of jobs. Land reform remains a huge problem.”
Ramaphosa said government at local, provincial and national level, continues to make several interventions to address all these challenges and relied on the Kng to work with government to address the problems that people are facing on a daily basis.
“In you, we have a leader who enjoys the respect and confidence of the people. A leader who takes responsibility for their decisions is trusted by the people. A leader that governs with compassion and kindness, especially to the most vulnerable, is loved.”
King Misuzulu officially ascended to the throne of the Zulu Kingdom at the Coronation held at KwaKhangelamankengane Royal Palace in Nongoma on 20 August 2022.
In March 2021, former King Zwelithini, Misuzulu’s father, died after reigning since 1971.
Misuzulu was chosen as the rightful heir through the will of his mother, the late Queen Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu, who became interim leader after the death of her husband King Zwelithini. The queen passed away almost two months after Zwelithini.
Among the delegates were King Mswati III of Africa’s last absolute monarchy, Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, who is also uncle to the new Zulu king.
Former presidents Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki were also present at the coronation.
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