Goodwill Zwelithini, the controversial but revered king of South Africa’s Zulus, died Friday aged 72 after weeks in hospital, his palace announced.
The king wielded great influence among millions of Zulus through his largely ceremonial and spiritual role despite having no official power in modern South Africa.
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The king’s prime minister thanked South Africa for its “continued prayers and support in this most difficult time“.
King Goodwill Zwelithini ruled the Zulu nation under the Traditional Leadership clause of South Africa’s republican constitution but his role was largely ceremonial.
Around 10 million people lives in KwaZulu-Natal province.The king was admitted to hospital last month for diabetes.
“Tragically, while still in hospital, His Majesty’s health took a turn for the worse and he subsequently passed away in the early hours of this morning,” the statement said.
Born in Nongoma, a small town in the southeastern Kwa-Zulu Natal province, Zwelithini ascended the throne in 1971 during the apartheid era at the age of 23, three years after the death of his father.
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