The first wife of South Africa’s Zulu king Misuzulu kaZwelithini has failed in her legal bid to stop his plans to take a third wife.
Queen Ntokozo kaMayisela went to court ahead of the wedding expected later this week.
But despite the verdict, it is not clear whether the wedding will still take place as planned.
On Saturday, South African media quoted an alleged letter from the king saying the ceremony was canceled “for reasons beyond the control of the royal household”.
Polygamous marriages are recognized in South Africa, but only if they are registered as customary marriages.
This latest row comes amid a series of scandals that have hit King Misuzulu since he came to power a little over two years ago.
The Zulu king has no formal political power and the monarch’s role in wider South African society is largely ceremonial, but he remains extremely influential with an annual government-funded budget of several million dollars.
Before he was enthroned, the king married Mayisela in a civil marriage in 2021.
In her legal argument heard at the high court on Monday, the Queen said through her lawyer that the King could not marry anyone else because their marriage was still valid.
Under South African law, a civil marriage must be dissolved or converted to a traditional union before a man can remarry.
Dismissing an application to stop the king’s marriage to Nomzamo Myeni, Justice Bongani Mngadi said that since the queen had already agreed to the idea that her husband could marry other women, she could not prevent the ceremony from taking place.
Last year, according to what was said in court on Monday, the royal couple agreed to convert their civil marriage to a traditional one. But the king has since filed for divorce, saying their relationship is over.
Despite the published letter, as well as the king’s lawyer in court, who said that the wedding would not take place, contradictory statements also appeared.
South African news site TimesLIVE reports that the bride-to-be said she knew nothing about the letter and as far as she understood, her wedding would go ahead as originally planned.
According to another news portal, IOL, which reportedly spoke to the couple, the king insisted that he loved Myeni and would “marry her by force”.
Since his coronation in October 2022, there has been controversy surrounding some of the decisions made by King Misuzulu.
In December, he illegally suspended the board of directors of the Ingonyama Trust, which owns and controls vast tracts of communal land in KwaZulu-Natal, which is supposed to be for the benefit and well-being of the king-led communities in the region.
King Misuzulu is the sole trustee and chairman of the trust, but has no power to hire or fire board members.
He also recently summarily sacked two close aides, including his traditional prime minister, in quick succession – moves that have raised eyebrows among royal watchers.
Misuzulu’s position as king is also being questioned by some, and there is currently an ongoing legal case challenging his recognition as monarch by the state.
He ascended the throne earlier than expected after his father, King Goodwill Zwelithini, died during the Covid pandemic in March 2021 from diabetes-related complications.
Zwelithini was the longest-serving ruler of the Zulu nation, holding the throne for almost 50 years.
