Newsdeck

Newsdeck

Zuma in ‘private’ meeting with Zulu monarch King Goodwill Zwelithini

Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma was locked in a "private" meeting with King Goodwill Zwelithini at the Ondini Palace Nongoma in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday.

News24 understands that Zuma arrived shortly after 12:00 to discuss a very private matter with the king.

“I genuinely do not know what the meeting is about, [it is] a very private matter. Nobody knows what it is about,” a reliable source told News24.

The source did not want to speculate on whether Zuma was consulting with the king over mounting pressure on him to step down as the president of the country.

Spokesperson for the Zulu royal household, Prince Thulani Zulu, said he could not officially comment at this time.

However, the Presidency described the meeting as a courtesy call.

“This is a longstanding courtesy meeting between the President and His Majesty which was initially meant to take place in January but was postponed due to diary challenges on both sides,” Presidency spokesperson Bongani Ngqulunga said.

The meeting with the king comes a day after the top six met with Zuma and allegedly asked him to step down.

ANC chair Gwede Mantashe on Sunday afternoon said: “We want to ensure that there is stability in the country and stability in the ANC. That is why tonight we are meeting with President Zuma.”

It was reported that the intention behind the meeting was not an attempt to humiliate Zuma but to discuss what was best for the country. DM

Gallery

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

We would like our readers to start paying for Daily Maverick...

…but we are not going to force you to. Over 10 million users come to us each month for the news. We have not put it behind a paywall because the truth should not be a luxury.

Instead we ask our readers who can afford to contribute, even a small amount each month, to do so.

If you appreciate it and want to see us keep going then please consider contributing whatever you can.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options

Become a Maverick Insider

This could have been a paywall

On another site this would have been a paywall. Maverick Insider keeps our content free for all.

Become an Insider

Every seed of hope will one day sprout.

South African citizens throughout the country are standing up for our human rights. Stay informed, connected and inspired by our weekly FREE Maverick Citizen newsletter.