Baptist Nazareth Church leader Mduduzi Shembe has forgiven AmaZulu king Misuzulu kaZwelithini for calling him an idiot.
In a video clip which was apparently filmed and leaked to the public by his queen Nomzamo Myeni during their verbal argument, the king referred to Shembe as an idiot, accusing his wife of cheating with a member of the church known as Masango.
The video clip went viral on Thursday, sparking a huge debate on social media platforms. While some sided with Myeni, others questioned her decision to take her marital and royal issues to the public.
During his weekly sermon on Saturday, Shembe addressed the issue, saying he understood that the king was intoxicated.
“Please stop spreading this thing because the king was intoxicated (and) therefore I have forgiven him as I always forgive you for insulting me while not drunk,” said Shembe.
Baptist Nazareth Church leader Mduduzi Shembe with AmaZulu king Misuzulu kaZwelithini in one of the church sermons.
Speaking while in Zimbabwe with the king, his Private Secretary Arnold Ndamase welcomed the forgiveness and said the king has dispatched a delegation to formally tender his apology.
On arrival back home, the Office of the King is expected to issue a formal statement on the forgiveness. The delegation, which included inkosi Zuzifa Buthelezi as the royal council chairperson, Traditional Prime Minister Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, the king’s former spokesperson His Royal Highness Prince Africa Zulu as well as other princes, was expected to meet Shembe later on Sunday to convey the king’s apology.
In the statement Ndamase issued on Friday, the king and the royal family expressed “profound concern” over the unauthorised dissemination of the video clip.
The king said that the recordings captured conversations in a private family setting and were leaked to the public without his knowledge or consent.
The statement said the difficult circumstances captured in the video belong to a past that has since been overtaken by extensive reflection, mutual reconciliation, and the ongoing fulfilment of royal duties.
The king and Myeni are currently in Zimbabwe for a meeting with President Emmerson Mnangagwa to discuss illegal immigration.
“The recordings are historical in nature and do not represent the present circumstances within the Royal Household,” read the statement.
The video surfaced on Thursday while the King and Myeni were jointly conducting official state duties at the KwaKhangelamankengane Royal Palace. The royal couple was hosting the leader of Build One South Africa (BOSA), Mmusi Maimane.
The king is a baptised member of the church, which is known for strict policy on alcohol consumption. Members of the church are forbidden from consuming alcohol. The church, popularly known as Shembe and is one of the biggest and richest in Africa.
The king is no stranger to controversy. In March last year, the king was filmed in a verbal altercation with his biological sister Princess Nomkhosi Zulu. In a clip that also went viral, the king was heard shouting at her to get out of his house, however, the matter was later amicably resolved through the involvement of royal elders.
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