AS the Zulu monarch wrestles with internal conflicts and legal battles, King Misuzulu has turned to the Shembe Church to ask for prayers.
The church, which is led by Inkosi Mduduzi "Unyazilwezulu" Shembe, gathered at the Enyokeni Royal Palace in Nongoma on Saturday, 25 November, and Sunday, 26 November, for their annual prayer. This is a tradition they started during the reign of the late King Zwelithini.
King Misuzulu, who is in a court battle his half-brother Prince Simakade and his uncle Prince Mbonisi Zulu who want to dethrone him on the throne, didn't hesitate to ask the Shembe leader and the congregation to pray for the monarch.
The court cases, heard in October with a reserved judgment, have heightened tensions in the Zulu royal house.
Misuzulu said he asked the Shembe church to pray for the Zulu monarch because he knows that they know all internal squabbles within the royal house.
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"I beg you to pray for the Zulu royal house to come together because if the Zulu royal house comes together, it means a strong nation. If the Zulu royal house is divided it means the divisions of the nation. I beg you to come together and pray for the Zulu royal family," he said.
King Misuzulu said the Zulu royal house needs more prayers than before because it is currently facing a court battle.
"There are others who say something and there are others who point fingers to others, but we don't have bad blood. We just don't see things with one eye.
"I beg your church to pray for that part because that part is a devil himself. As we are here, we are here to fight the evil spirits. Let us pray for the nation and pray for the upcoming elections," he said.
Shembe church leader Unyazilwezulu Shembe said he still can't believe that King Zwelithini is no more.
"He had a good heart, and this annual prayer was started by him. I pray that his soul will stay with the Zulu royal house palaces," he said.
