South Africa: King of Zulu Nation challenges professor to stick fight

The king of South Africa’s Zulu community, Misuzulu kaZwelithini, has issued a stick fight challenge to a university professor who is said to have insulted the monarch, according to BBC News, September 14.

Stick fighting is a long-standing custom in Zulu culture, where an offended party is able to issue a challenge in order to settle disputes. According to the Professor who was challenged, Misu Xulu-who holds doctorates in both cultural tourism and Zulu music-he took the King’s challenge as a joke, and not a serious offer. However, Professor Xulu has revealed he filed an official complaint with the country’s police force, saying “I have received threats from hired assassins.”

The challenge was issued publicly by the King himself, during the annual Zulu Reed Dance at the new royal palace in front of thousands of attendees. According to local reports, the King expressed anger at the Professor and emphasised the need “to protect and preserve our cultures.”

King Miszulu kaZwelithini appears to have expressed disdain towards the professor’s comments regarding the construction of a new royal palace, although, this was not specified by the King himself.

The King was reported to have said on the mater:”It pains me to see another man telling me how to do my job,” continuing that “It is okay if he is against me, but when he insults me, he insults the Zulu nation as well.”

In what is reported to be a surprising short speech by the monarch on one of the biggest days in the Zulu calendar, the 50 year old supposedly offered Professor Xulu the chance to settle the score: “If his friends are here, go and tell him that there is a fighting ring if he wants a stick fight because I can take him up.”

The new palace that is supposedly at the centre of the disagreement is eMashobeni palace in South Africa, which according to Professor Xulu, he described as potentially wasteful in comments to local media outlets. The Professor made the comments in light of a recent and extensive renovation of $9 million to another royal residence, Enyokeni palace-the home of the Zulu reed dance since 1984.

Professor Xulu stated that he meant no offence, and that merely talking about Zulu Nation financial policy could not be considered as an insult.

The professor said he had nothing against King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, but added that he would not take up the challenge on the grounds that he was not in equal standing to the King. He described the concept of stick fighting as a traditional part of Zulu culture, but the 64 year old noted he had not partaken in the practice since he was a boy.

King Miszulu kaZwelithini is still new to the Zulu crown, only having been crowned in 2022 following a long and contentious battle with his two brothers after the death of his father King Goodwill Zwelithini, and then his mother Queen Mantfombi Dlamini.

The current Zulu monarch’s ascension was not guaranteed, being the third oldest son of his predecessor. Although eldest sons are still sometimes the main candidate in the Zulu Royal succession, the Zulu Nation is now a constitutional monarchy, meaning that Kings are now appointed.

Following the death of King Goodwill Zwelithini on March 12 2021, a 3-month period of mourning was announced, during which time the new monarch would not be announced. The duty of appointing the next in line fell to the then Regent, Miszulu kaZwelithini’s mother, Queen Mantfombi Dlamini. However, she passed away only 7 weeks later, leaving no clear successor to the throne, causing a brief period of contest between then Prince Miszulu kaZwelithini, his two bothers and other Royal Zulu figures.

However, following the death of his mother, then Prince kaZwelithini was announced as next in line following the reading of Queen Dlamini’s will, which revealed she had appointed him as the next in line to the Zulu Nation throne.

The South African courts, however, later ruled that the Zulu Nation’s recognition of King Miszulu kaZwelithini was not lawful.

Succession tensions appear to have greatly picked up once more in 2025 with new legal action being taken by the late King Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu’s siblings, stating that they intend to draw up a Zulu Royal Family Tree to contest the ascension of King Miszulu kaZwelithini.

With a Zulu population of around 64 million people, the royal household does not possess any formal political power, but is rather a significant symbolic and cultural body for its people in South Africa. Though, it continues to possess great financial standing with a yearly taxpayer budget of around $4.9 million that it uses to uphold its long and proud history.

BBC News, The Guardian, Cape Argus, Maghrebi.org