According to his traditional prime minister, South Africa's Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini is receiving medical attention for what appears to be poisoning.
Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi added that the king chose to receive medical care in Eswatini because he felt uncomfortable receiving it in South Africa.
According to Chief Buthelezi, this comes after the untimely passing of one of his top advisers who also died of suspected poisoning.
In front of thousands of his subjects, King Misuzulu was crowned in October.
With regard to the 48-year-old's accession, a vicious power struggle has been going on within the royal family.
Although the Zulu king does not hold official political office and plays a largely ceremonial role in South African society as a whole, he still wields considerable power thanks to a multimillion dollar government budget. .
Asserting that he is not the legitimate heir to the throne of his late father, King Goodwill Zwelithini, a faction within the family is contesting his claim to the throne in court.
They insist that Prince Simakade, a different son of the late king, should rule instead.
At least 26 children and six wives were born to King Zwelithini.
The two daughters of King Zwelithini's first wife, Queen Sibongile Dlamini-Zulu, have also filed a legal challenge against the monarch's will.
Last year, a court dismissed their case, but they declared they would appeal the decision.
There is no evidence that any members of the royal family are responsible for the alleged poisoning of King Misuzulu.
Police in South Africa have not yet responded to the allegations.
A senior aide to King Misuzulu who resided with Chief Buthelezi, according to the chief, "passed on quite suddenly and there are suspicions that he was poisoned.".
"When His Majesty started to feel ill, he worried that he might have been poisoned as well.
"He went straight to Eswatini for medical attention. According to what I've been told, His Majesty was hesitant to seek medical attention in South Africa because both of his parents had died after receiving care there, Chief Buthelezi said.
While the king had recently appointed a head of communications in his office, Chief Buthelezi continued, he had a responsibility as the traditional prime minister to inform the Zulu nation of "this worrying situation.".
"The welfare of the King is our top priority right now. As a nation of Zulu, we pray for His Majesty's complete and quick recovery.
The authorities will take care of any need for additional investigations, according to Chief Buthelezi. .
The installation of King Misuzulu was unexpected and sudden.
In March 2021, the Covid pandemic struck, and complications from diabetes claimed the life of his father.
He held the throne for nearly 50 years, making him the monarch of the Zulu nation with the longest reign.
The regent was then Queen Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu, mother of King Misuzulu, but she passed away a month later.
She was the sister of Africa's only absolute monarch, King Mswati III of Eswatini.
Chief Buthelezi at the time denied reports that she had been poisoned.
Although he had supported King Misuzulu's ascension to the throne, recent reports suggested that the two had grown apart.
It came after a disagreement over who should lead the Ingonyama Trust Board, which looks after sizable swaths of land under the monarch's control.
According to local media, Chief Buthelezi objected to Chief Thanduyise Mzimela's appointment as the organization's chairman because he believed he lacked the necessary experience.
