Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini is seen during Heritage Day celebrations. Photo: Getty ImagesZulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, who saw himself as the custodian of his people's culture and was praised by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as a "visionary monarch", died on Friday. Zwelithini was officially crowned the eighth monarch of South Africa's largest ethnic group in 1971, after going into hiding fearing assassination when his father died in 1968. Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu was born on July 14, 1948, the year the National Party came to power and began its programme of racial segregation and domination. The king also courted controversy in 2015, when several people were killed in anti-immigrant violence following xenophobic remarks Zwelithini made.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 12, 2021 21:33 UTC