Calls for a Zulu interpreter in Pretoria High Court as the battle for the Zulu throne continues. Picture: Willem Phungula
Pretoria — Amabutho and several royal family members attending the court case want an isiZulu interpreter.
The matter was raised by a couple of attendants who complained when the trial started on Monday.
King Misuzulu, his half-brother, Prince Simakade Zulu, and his paternal father, Prince Mbonisi, have been battling it out in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria since Monday. The trial will run until Wednesday. On that day, the judgment on the validity of King Misuzulu’s ascendancy to the throne will be decided.
One of the attendees, who spoke on condition of anonymity, blamed the leaders of the factions for not thinking about the people who did not understand what was being said.
She said an interpreter would help those in court and the millions of Zulus who were watching the proceedings on TV back home in KwaZulu-Natal.
“It is difficult for many of us to follow what is being said here in court because there is no interpretation. If I cannot understand what is said while I am here, how much more for someone that is watching from home? We are pleading with the king’s office or the other factions to ask their attorneys to bring an interpreter,” said the royal family member.
Tumi Mabone, the private secretary to the presiding judge, said it should not be a problem to get an interpreter; the leaders of the groups must approach the court manager and ask for an interpreter.
On Monday, legal teams representing Mbonisi and Simakade spent the day trying to convince the court that the royal family meeting that had taken place on May 14, 2021 was not properly constituted since 26 of the important royal family members, among them the late king Zwelithini’s children, were excluded.
The legal teams argued against late Zulu prime minister Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s role, questioning his royal status.
Prince Mbonisi’s team, led by advocate Thabani Masuku SC, said Buthelezi was not a royal family member. His remarks drew anger from the gallery: “Unamanga, you are lying!”
This forced Masuku to address the court and remind people that what he was saying was not his views but was instructed by his clients.
On Tuesday, teams representing the king and President Cyril Ramaphosa are expected to respond to calls to either refer the king’s appointment back to the president or have the royal family restart the whole process.
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