[imagesource: Elmond Jiyane / GCIS]
Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini was buried in a private funeral that started on Wednesday and ended in the early hours of Thursday morning.
His body was fetched from a mortuary in Nongoma and taken to Kwakhethomthandayo Palace, a few kilometres away, escorted by maidens and the Amabutho (Zulu regiments), before he was ‘planted’.
Following the memorial, which took place yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa and some VIP mourners faced a security risk and had to be escorted from the palace in Nongoma, after the Amabutho got out of hand.
Per IOL, throughout the memorial, the Amabutho, carrying traditional weapons like spears, knobkieries, and shields, gathered at the gates of the palace, trying to get in.
You can see them advancing on the palace at the start of the video below:
SAPS managed to keep them outside by closing the iron gate.
When the president tried to leave, the Amabutho blocked his exit.
What could have been turned into chaos was avoided by Ramaphosa’s security team, who pulled down a fence to open a temporary exit so that the presidential convoy could leave.
You can see the president’s convoy exiting through the fence at the 1:50 mark:
From another angle outside of the gate:
The have to make temporary exit for President since the gate was blocked. President used this gate. pic.twitter.com/MjhCEO6lQZ
— MR PAID (@kamuhelo6) March 18, 2021
The Amabutho did manage to breach the palace gates, after which they marched to the main house of mourning where they knelt as a sign of respect.
The Zulu Royal Family was not impressed with the fact that the Amabuthu believed that they had a right to enter the Palace.
“Your actions are tainting the burial of the king which was conducted in a befitting manner. Look at you, there are no masks (to prevent the spread of Covid-19),” an angry prince said to the crowd.
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi was able to reason with the Amabutho, following which their mourning, alongside the maidens, continued outside of the palace walls.
[source:iol]
