South Africa: Zulu King, Goodwill Zwelithini Dies At 72
South Africa: Zulu King, Goodwill Zwelithini Dies At 72.
South Africans are calling for a state funeral be held in honor of Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, the revered monarch of the country’s largest ethnic group, whose death was announced Friday.
King Zwelithini, 72, passed away early Friday after being hospitalized for an ailment for several weeks, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a condolence message on social media.
“His Majesty will be remembered as a much-loved, visionary monarch who made an important contribution to cultural identity, national unity and economic development in KwaZulu-Natal and through this, to the development of our country as a whole,” Ramaphosa wrote on Twitter Friday morning.
One social media user, Nemzah Mageba, swiftly beckoned the president to temporarily relax South Africa’s coronavirus restrictions that prohibit mass gatherings at funerals, so the departed king can be accorded a public ceremony befitting of his status.
“Dear honorable president, I humbly request that you suspend level one alert for Covid, we need to bury our king the way he deserves! He deserves much better than 50 people…,” Mageba wrote on Twitter.
“We can social distance and not shake hands… We wanna sing…. Deep inside I really wanna be there with thousands of Zulu people,” Mageba added.
Credit: CNN(Online).
