“We tried on numerous occasions to warn everyone about putting Misuzulu on the throne, now we are all being humiliated. There is a lot more happening behind the scenes; we don’t even know where to start.”
Sihle Sibisi, the founder of the Kwanele Foundation and an activist fighting to prevent violence against women and children, claims she fears for her life after being intimidated as a result of her association with Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini.
Sibisi reported intimidation to the Douglasdale Police Station in Johannesburg this week, claiming she had received anonymous phone calls from people threatening to kill her.
Sibisi revealed this week that the Zulu king initially made romantic attempts towards her in September last year.
She first met the monarch at the annual reed dance at Enyokeni Royal House in Nongoma, KwaZulu-Natal. Following the dance, she was summoned by the king’s aunt, who informed her that the king desired to speak with her alone.
Sibisi recalled, “They took me in to see the king. It was in a boardroom with glass. I walked in and took off my shoes, but I was limping because I was wearing a brace. I greeted him and he said: ‘What a beautiful babe, come here and hug me.’ He started squeezing my buttocks.”
She claims Misuzulu refused to discuss concerns of gender-based violence and instead insisted on taking pictures together, “We took a picture and then the aunt [said]: ‘Involve me in the picture because you can’t take a picture alone with him … people might start talking and the wife might get pissed off.’”
The king supposedly ordered Sibisi to spend the night at the palace with him, but she refused. She stated that the photos sparked debate among the royal family because relatives feared they would anger Queen Ntokozo Mayisela-Zulu.
Sibisi claims her second contact with the monarch occurred the following month when he invited her to a business breakfast in Richards Bay.
Before I left, he asked to see me in private with 3 Seconds [the king’s traditional healer]. He said he needed me in his life because he needed a strong woman like me … When I had to leave, he begged me not to go … and the next thing he invited me to his room. When I got there, he was with his son…”
Sibisi claims she turned down the king’s advances again during their second meeting. After they reconnected, he allegedly invited her to a fertility clinic. “The next thing, he took me to Lancet [Laboratories] to check my fertility … We got back to the hotel and that was the first night I got intimate with him.”
Misuzulu is alleged to have tried to maintain frequent contact after she returned to Johannesburg. “He was begging me not to take the morning-after pill [a type of emergency birth control]. He phoned me crying and was like: ‘I can’t live without you; you have to come to Ulundi.’ I said why must I come to Ulundi and he said, ‘I need to spend time with you’.”
Sibisi drove to KwaZulu-Natal to spend time with the king since she could work remotely. She claims that while at the palace, she was housed in separate quarters so that she would not come into contact with the queen.
A man identified as Misuzulu may be heard declaring his love for Sibisi in one of the several audio recordings. “I love you and I love my nation…” he says.
City Press has several recordings of Sibisi having extensive chats with the monarch, as well as photographs of personal moments between the two. In some, she can be seen conversing with the monarch and other members of the royal family.
In one audio clip, Misuzulu complains about his wife. He says, “She doesn’t act like a queen and I need to find another one [wife].”
In another, he describes a vision of his children in difficulty in the water, and how his dream of seeing them in trouble spared them from going on a boat trip when Durban was slammed by monster waves that killed three people in December.
Sibisi claims their connection deteriorated after the royal house issued a statement in December referring to her as an intruder attempting to seek favour with the monarch. She claims that the king refused to defend her when she asked him to.
Their relationship soured, and she began to receive the cold shoulder from the king, as well as intimidating calls from people she assumes to be from the royal family.
An audio tape apparently showing Misuzulu ranting against Sihle Sibisi went viral on TikTok this week, escalating the intimidation. The king can be heard threatening Sihle Sibisi and her brother in the recording.
Sibisi’s brother refers to Misuzulu as his brother-in-law and asks to speak about his sister. Misuzulu then says: “What do you want to talk to me about regarding Sihle, sbari [brother in-law]? Who do you want to see? That is not going to happen.”
The brother tells Misuzulu that there is a threat that the saga might be leaked to the press, to which the king responds, “Take that story to the papers, I don’t care. They can even arrest me. That is what you guys do, right?”
Sihle Sibisi interjects, saying, “Ndabezitha [Misuzulu’s clan name], please calm down. I am with my big brother, who is talking to you.”
Misuzulu responds by saying, “Give your brother the phone. What do you want to say to me? I will beat you up. You don’t know me. I will beat you up. Who are you and what are you trying to do?”
When Misuzulu hands the phone to another man, the call gets cut abruptly. According to a royal family member who confirmed the link, the recording is being listened to by members of the royal family.
“I received the recording on Sunday and other pictures as well. The Sihle matter is known here, even though it is a matter which they are trying hard to keep under wraps.”
“We tried on numerous occasions to warn everyone about putting Misuzulu on the throne, now we are all being humiliated. There is a lot more happening behind the scenes; we don’t even know where to start,” the source said.
According to a family member, the royal house organised a prayer service for Misuzulu last week, but he did not appear. They also said that the queen had left the royal palace because she couldn’t bear the shame and embarrassment caused by the affair.
“She is not in the royal house as we speak. She has left him and her matter has not been addressed officially.”
Last month, a section of the Zulu royal family that recognises Prince Simakade Zulu as the rightful heir to the throne stated that it would pursue a judicial battle to overturn Misuzulu’s legitimacy as monarch.
Simakade’s legal application will be heard in the Pretoria High Court from May 31 to June 2. Thami Zulu, a spokesperson for the royal family, told City Press yesterday that he did not comment on the king’s personal matters.
“I am not at liberty to speak about any woman who is in the king’s life. Those are his private matters. I am not even aware of the relationship you are referring to,” he said.
A source close to Sihle Sibisi, however, revealed that she was dating Misuzulu and had hosted his uncles at her house in Bryanston, Johannesburg.
