South African Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini dies at the age of 72

by

King Zwelithini, 72, died Friday afternoon after being hospitalized for illness for several weeks, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in condolences message on social media.

“His Majesty will be remembered as a much-loved visionary monarch who made an important contribution to cultural identity, national unity and economic development in KwaZulu-Natal and, through this, to the development of our country in its together, “Ramaphosa wrote on Twitter Friday morning.

A social media user, Nemzah Mageba, made a quick signal to the president to temporarily relax South Africa’s coronavirus restrictions banning mass gatherings during funerals, so the dead king can be granted a proper public ceremony. to their status.

“Dear Honorable President, I humbly ask you to suspend the first-level alert for Covid, we must bury our king the way he deserves! He deserves much more than 50 people …” Mageba wrote on Twitter.

“We can distance ourselves socially and not shake hands … We want to sing … Basically I want to be there with thousands of Zulus,” Mageba added.
South Africans speak Gqeberha, the new name of Port Elizabeth

Lwazi Monyetsane, 33, a Zulu whose family resides in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal, told CNN that the late monarch deserves a state funeral.

However, Monyetsane fears that admirers of the now-dead Zulu king will be unable to ignore Covid-19 security protocols.

“I know for a fact that the people of KwaZulu will not be bothered by the Covid protocols. The death of a king is an important thing and everyone will want to be a part of it or at least attend it,” he said.

“The government will have to be very deliberate about how it is progressing with funeral planning. The people of KwaZulu love King Zwelithini. I will look very closely at how we manage it,” Monyetsane added.

Mvangeli Nzuza, 31, of KwaZulu-Natal, also told CNN that King Zwelithini should receive a state funeral, but said it should be done virtually to ensure compliance with Covid regulations. of South Africa.

“Everyone should broadcast the funeral,” Nzuza said, adding that “there should be no set of rules for normal South Africans and another for high-profile individuals.”

King Zwelithini ascended the throne more than 50 years ago after the death of his father. He is classified as the oldest Zulu monarch.

The Zulu kingdom, under the precursors of Zwelithini, resisted an invasion of the territory by British soldiers in the 1800s.

King Zwelithini was an influential leader throughout his reign. In 2010, she promoted a return to the tradition of male circumcision to combat high HIV rates in KwaZulu-Natal, after studies indicated that it significantly reduced transmission.

“He was powerful,” Johannesburg resident 46-year-old Kwena Moabelo told CNN. “He was more progressive than his predecessors.”

.Source