The Zulu king of South Africa, Goodwill Zwelithini, died at the age of 72

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King Zwelithini, 72, died early Friday after being hospitalized for illness for several weeks, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a condolence message on social networks.

“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 thus to the development of our country as a whole,” Ramaphosa wrote on Twitter on Friday. morning.

A social media user, Nemzah Mageba, quickly told the president to temporarily relax the coronavirus restrictions in South Africa that ban mass gatherings at funerals so that the departed king can be granted a public ceremony appropriate to his status.

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

“We can social distance and not shake hands … We want to sing … Deep inside I really want to be there with thousands of Zulu people,” Mageba added.
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Lwazi Monyetsane, 33, a Zulu whose family lives in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal, told CNN that the late monarch deserves a state funeral.

However, Monyetsane fears that the Covid-19 security protocols may be ignored by fans of the departed Zulu king.

“I know for sure that the people of KwaZulu will not bother with the Covid protocols. The death of a king is a big problem and everyone will want to be part of it or at least participate,” she said.

“The government will have to be very deliberate about how they go about planning the funeral. The people of KwaZulu love King Zwelithini. I will watch carefully how we do,” Monyetsane added.

Mvangeli Nzuza, 31, of KwaZulu-Natal, also told CNN that King Zwelithini should be buried by the state – but said it should be done in practice to ensure compliance with South African Covid regulations.

“The whole world should pass on the funeral,” Nzuza said, adding that “there should be no set of rules for normal South Africans and another for high-profile people.”

King Zwelithini ascended the throne more than 50 years ago after his father’s passing. He is the longest-lived Zulu monarch.

The Kingdom of Zulu, under Zwelithini’s parents, withstood an invasion of the territory by British soldiers in the 1800s.

King Zwelithini was an influential leader throughout his reign. In 2010, he 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 strong,” Kwena Moabelo, a 46-year-old Johannesburg resident, told CNN. “He was more progressive than his predecessors.”

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