Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu Zululand Tourism

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu Zululand Tourism

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu Zululand Tourism – Born on 14 July 1948 in Nongoma King Goodwill is the head of the Zulu Nation and the monarch of the South African Province of KwaZulu-Natal.

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu Zululand Tourism – Name

In reverence to Zulu culture elders are not addressed in or referred to by their first names. Surnames of kings are not declared, but as to tradition King Goodwill Zwethini kaBhekuzulu has used his father’s (King Cyprian Bhekuzulu kaSolomon) first name in place of his own. The prefix “ka” means “of” in Zulu. The clan name for the Royal family is Ndaba or Mageba.

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu Zululand Tourism – Some Facts

• After he turned 21 years of age and married his first wife, Queen Sibongile Khumalo, he was coronated at Nongoma in Zululand on 3 December 1971.
• He is the eighth Zulu monarch and longest serving Zulu King.
• The 70-year-old King has been in power for 47 years (2018).
• Through the Ingonyama Trust, of which he is the sole trustee, he controls 30% of provincial land in KwaZulu-Natal.
• As of 2018 he has 6 wives and 28 children.
• He is a keen farmer and breeds Nguni and Boran cattle.

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu Zululand Tourism – Zulu Culture

Under his reign much has been done to reintroduce and restore important Zulu ceremonies, festivals and events:

• Umkhosi Wokweshwama “First Fruits Festival” banned by the British colonial authorities after the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879. It is now known as Umkhosi WoSelwa “Calabash Festival”.
• The Royal Zulu Reed Dance, Mkhosi woMhlanga eNyokeni Palace for Zulu maidens was restored in 1991.
• In 2009 the King proposed the renewal of the custom of circumcision for Zulu males after the practice has died out during King Shaka’s reign.

Zulu Cultural Events and Festivals 2019

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu Zululand Tourism – Ancestry

• The present King is head of the Zulu nation and is the nation’s longest serving leader.
• He was coronated in 1971 – three years after his father King Cyprian Bhekuzulu kaSolomon passed away in 1968.
• He is of royal lineage, as a descendant of King Senzangakhona kaJama, father of King Shaka kaSenzangakhona and two others, Dingane and Mpande.
• The current King descends from Mpande, succeeded by his son, Cetshwayo kaMpande, followed by Dinizulu kaCetshwayo, who is King Zwelithini’s great-grandfather.

 

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