South Africa’s Zulu King, Misuzulu kaZwelithini, has apologised after leaked videos showed him berating his third wife, Queen Nomzamo Myeni, over an alleged affair and saying she should have sought his permission before seeing another man.
The footage, which has spread widely on social media and sparked fierce debate across South Africa, captures the monarch angrily confronting the Queen inside what appears to be a private residence. Wearing slippers and holding a beer bottle, the King accuses her of being unfaithful with a member of her church congregation and orders her to leave his home.
“When you are someone’s wife, you ask to go where you want to go. At least let your husband know, instead of him seeing you on social media,” he says in one clip.
He also tells her: “You make yourself look innocent, but you stink. I want you out of my house.”
The King goes on to accuse the Queen of having an affair with a fellow church member before launching an insult at the church pastor, calling him “an idiot.”
It is not known who leaked the recordings, although reports suggest the videos may have been filmed by Queen Myeni herself. At the end of one recording, a woman’s voice believed to be hers says: “This is the life I live, day and night.”
The remarks have triggered criticism online, with many focusing on the King’s suggestion that his wife should have obtained his permission before going out. Others have questioned whether the comments reflect outdated views on marriage and gender roles.
In a statement issued by the Zulu royal household, King Misuzulu expressed regret over his remarks and offered an apology.
He said he “deeply regrets the hurt caused by his utterances” and asked those affected to accept his “sincere expression of remorse.”
The palace described the videos as historical recordings, insisting they do not reflect the current state of affairs within the royal household.
King Misuzulu married Queen Nomzamo Myeni in November last year, making her his third wife. His personal life has remained under intense public scrutiny since he became monarch in 2022 following the death of his father, King Goodwill Zwelithini, who ruled the Zulu nation for almost 50 years and had six wives.
His accession to the throne was challenged in court by several siblings, who disputed whether his late mother, Queen Mantfombi, held the status of the King’s “Great Wife” under Zulu custom, a designation central to the line of succession.
His marriage to Queen Myeni also attracted legal controversy. His first wife, Queen Ntokozo kaMayisela, sought to block the marriage, arguing that the King could not legally marry another woman while their civil marriage remained valid.
The Zulu nation is South Africa’s largest ethnic group, representing around one fifth of the country’s population. Although the King’s position is largely ceremonial, the royal household receives millions of pounds each year in funding from the South African government.
