High Court Judge Norman Davis presiding over the court matter involving the Zulu royals has reserved his decision at the North Gauteng High Court in Tshwane today. The matter was set down for three days as AmaZulu royal family is battling it out in court for the Zulu throne. The Zulu king's half-brother Prince Simakade Zulu wants the court to set aside President Cyril Ramaphosa's appointment of Misuzulu kaZwelithini.

Yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa made his submission to the court through his legal representative advocate Marumo Moerane and revealed that he followed due processes in recognising King Misuzulu as the heir to the Zulu throne. Ramaphosa and the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Thembi Nkadimeng filed papers in court opposing Prince Simakade's application to overturn the president's certification of Misuzulu as the king of the Zulu nation. In response to leading arguments, Advocate Thabani Masuku, the legal representative for Prince Mbonisi Zulu who is Misuzulu's uncle, told the court how Ramaphosa unlawfully conferred the certificate of kingship to Misuzulu. Yesterday, Misuzulu's representative advocate Cedric Puckrin argued that the President's decision was guided solely by Judge Isaac Madondo, who made a ruling in February 2022 at the Pietermaritzburg High Court, where he ruled that Misuzulu was an undisputed successor after the passing of his father King Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu in March 2021. Judge Madondo's judgment was appealed and will be heard by the Supreme Court of Appeal on November 13 where one of the matters to be challenged is the denied application and Justice Isaac Madondo to recuse himself. Mbonisi and Simakade accused Madondo of being biased when making the decision as he was on Ramaphosa's corner.

Judge Davis said that he reserved judgment in the matter to have enough time to deliberate before passing his judgment. "I reserve judgement in the court case. All parties will now wait for my judgment on the matter. I understand the significance of the case in the royal family and the nation at large. I will need time to go through all the submissions and presentations before I make a ruling," he said, adding that no matter who comes up top in the matter, it is expected that the losing parties will take the matter to the Supreme Court of Appeal.