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Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini on Thursday made bold moves in his quest to have the province of KwaZulu-Natal renamed KwaZulu.
Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini on Thursday made bold moves in his quest to have the province of KwaZulu-Natal renamed KwaZulu, announcing the appointment of senior legal figures as his advisers.
Speaking during the official opening of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature at Woodburn Stadium in Pietermaritzburg, the King — who appointed retired Judge Isaac Madondo and Advocate Thembeka Ngcukaitobi as his legal advisers — said the current name belonged to the colonial era.
When Vasco da Gama arrived here, he found this province inhabited by people. It was called KwaZulu. He said he discovered this province and named it Natal. I am making a call in my capacity as King of the Zulu nation that this province be renamed KwaZulu. This move is long overdue as we seek to restore our history, identity and dignity.
Prior to 1994, the province had two sections: KwaZulu, which was an area presided over by the then Bantustan government, and Natal, which was governed by the apartheid administration.
During South Africa’s transition to democracy in 1994, the two sections were merged and renamed KwaZulu-Natal.
However, the King said there had been no need to merge the two, as the original name of the province was KwaZulu, which he said was founded by King Shaka in 1816.
The name-change proposal has the support of the IFP and the MK Party.
“We do not find anything sinister in the King’s proposal. History tells us — and it is well known — that in the past, during the reign of King Shaka, the boundaries of KwaZulu extended far beyond what is today KwaZulu-Natal. It is well documented that the IFP consistently and firmly advocated for the recognition of KwaZulu in acknowledgement of the Zulu Kingdom and its profound historical, cultural and political significance,” IFP national chairperson Blessed Gwala said.
Pietermaritzburg-based MK Party MPL Mervyn Dirks said the party did not associate itself with colonial names.
“The King has raised pertinent issues. He said he wants the name of the province to be changed to KwaZulu. The MK Party fully supports that. Even when we issue statements in the KZN Legislature, we do not use the name KwaZulu-Natal; we refer to the province as KwaZulu,” he said.
The ANC said it was yet to take a position on the renaming matter.
The ANC acknowledges that the province’s name originated from dialogue and consensus agreements leading to the constitutionalising of the name in its current form. The ANC is mindful that discussions of this nature should not divide or polarise the people of the province, as this is a highly emotive issue.
Constitutional law expert Lawson Naidoo said while he did not have details regarding the reasons for the proposed change, altering a province’s name was permissible under the law.
“If you recall, a few years ago the name of the Northern Province was changed to Limpopo,” he said.
Turning to the Ingonyama Trust, the King said it was unacceptable that the trust remained under the control of the national government, despite the land belonging to the amakhosi of the Zulu nation.
In terms of the Ingonyama Trust Act, members of the Ingonyama Trust Board are appointed by the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, while Parliament exercises oversight over the trust.
However, the King said he wants the Act amended to allow him to appoint members of the board and for oversight to be transferred to the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature.
“It is the KZN Legislature which should exercise oversight over the Ingonyama Trust,” he said.
The King has tasked the Zulu nation’s prime minister, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, with lobbying political parties in the National Assembly to support amendments to the Ingonyama Trust Act.
This article first appeared in The Witness on 27 February 2026.
