King Misizulu gets hitched to Undlunkulu LaMawewe at Umhlanga 2025
By Kwanele Dhladhla
The Zulu Kingdom has entered a historic new chapter following the announcement that His Majesty King Misuzulu Ka Zwelithini has officially chosen Her Royal Highness Princess Sihle LaMawewe of the Ndwandwe Royal Family as his Queen Consort at Umhlanga 2025.
In a detailed explanation of this monumental decision, Squire Arnold Nododile (Ndamase) — Chief Director of the Private Office of His Majesty the Zulu King and Private Secretary to the monarch-said the recognition of UNdlunkulu LaMawewe and the planned return to Emashobeni Royal Palace during Umhlanga 2025 carried profound ancestral, cultural, and spiritual meaning.
According to Ndamase, the investiture of Her Royal Highness’ (HRH) UNdlunkulu Sihle LaMawewe as UNdlunkulu waseMashobeni is not merely a personal choice by the King, but a symbolic act of reconnection between two historic royal bloodlines-the Ndwandwe and the Zulu.
It also marks the formal establishment of the royal household at Emashobeni, in Pongola, a site deeply embedded in the ancestral memory of the Zulu nation.
Ndamase emphasised that the selection of Emashobeni was intentional and carries generational weight. Nestled in the Zulu heartland near the Eswatini border, Emashobeni has historically linked to King Zwide, the Ndwandwe-Zulu wars, and the sacred pathways that connect the Ndwandwe, Zulu, and Dlamini monarchies.
“For centuries, Emashobeni has represented both conflict and convergence in the story of our people. By returning Umhlanga to this sacred land after more than four decades, His Majesty is reclaiming continuity, authority, and legitimacy rooted not in politics but in ancestral mandate,” Ndamase explained.
The decision to re-establish royal presence at Emashobeni was therefore both cultural and strategic- a way of restoring rituals to their rightful places and reaffirming the monarchy’s living connection with its forebears.
While Emashobeni will be the royal seat, Ndamase noted that the presentation of UNdlunkulu LaMawewe must take place in Eswatini during Umhlanga. This annual reed dance, preserved with great reverence, was more than a cultural celebration-it was a sacred rite of passage for maidens, symbolising purity, fertility, and womanhood.
“For His Majesty King Misuzulu to present the new Queen Consort before King Mswati III is an act of ancestral alignment and pan-African monarchical solidarity.
It affirms that the Zulu Kingdom honors Eswatini-Zulu customs and acknowledges Eswatini as a guardian of traditions that have withstood colonial disruption,” Ndamase said.
Ndamase explained that the investiture of UNdlunkulu LaMawewe through Umhlanga carries multi-layered significance:
Spiritual: It validates the Queen’s purity and readiness for her sacred role. It also reconnects Zulu traditions with their shared Ndwandwe and Swazi ancestry.
Diplomatic: Eswatini remains Africa’s monarchy, and the endorsement of King Mswati III lends weight to the legitimacy of Zulu royal succession. Presenting the Queen in Eswatini solidifies ties between the two monarchies.
Cultural: The ritual underscores the shared legacy of King Mswati II, King Shaka, and King Zwide – monarchs whose legacies shaped southern Africa’s history.
“Through this act, His Majesty demonstrates that our monarchy is not a relic, but a living institution bound by sacred responsibility,” Ndamase observed.
Beyond its cultural symbolism, the move represents a broader strategy: reclaiming royal rituals from politically mediated arenas and returning them to spaces of ancestral authority.
Ndamase described the plan as “a public declaration that the Zulu Kingdom is reclaiming its legitimacy through tradition, not state negotiation.”
The return of Umhlanga to Emashobeni was therefore not a nostalgic gesture, but a strategic recalibration of royal authority, prioritizing ancestral tradition over political interference.
Ndamase said the recognition of UNdlunkulu LaMawewe should be viewed within the broader context of Africa’s monarchical revival. By embracing cross-border rituals, ancestral alignments, and intermarriage between royal houses, King Misuzulu affirmed that the monarchy remains central to Africa’s identity and future.
“This is about more than one Queen. It is about reasserting the monarchy’s place as a unifying, guiding institution in African civilization. Through these sacred acts, His Majesty is calling our people back to cultural sovereignty and spiritual unity,” he added.,
The investiture is thus a statement of intent: that the Zulu Kingdom, far from being diminished in modernity, is positioning itself at the forefront of Africa’s cultural and political renaissance.
As preparations for Umhlanga 2025 gather momentum, the recognition of UNdlunkulu LaMawewe and the re-establishment of the royal household at Emashobeni promise to be defining moments for the Zulu nation.
“This act revives the spiritual essence of Zulu queenship, honors Eswatini’s enduring custodianship of sacred rites, and anchors Emashobeni as the rightful center of Zulu royal continuity,” Ndamase concluded.
It was, in every sense, an ancestral proclamation -one that unites bloodlines, honors history, and charts a bold course for the monarchy’s next chapter.
