Zulu king Goodwill Zvelitini died at the age of 73. This is reported by the South African TV channel SABC News with reference to the message of the former leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party, member of the royal family and tribal leader of the Zulu Mangosutu Buthelezi.
According to Butelezi, the king was hospitalized last week due to unstable blood sugar levels. Zvelitini had fluctuations in glucose levels over the past few weeks, which is why doctors sent him to the intensive care unit at the Zululand district hospital.
For the first time, Boutelezi reported about the placement of the Zulu king in the intensive care unit in early February. Then he said that Zvelitini had chronic diabetes, and unstable blood sugar levels also became the reason for the hospitalization.
Zvelitini was born on July 27, 1948 in the city of Nongoma, in the northeast of Zululand. Formally, he became king in 1968 after the death of his father Cyprian, but the inauguration took place only three years later, since Zvelitini was completing his education at that time.
During his time on the throne, the king was actively involved in the campaign against HIV. In particular, as part of this campaign, he brought back the practice of male circumcision in 2009.
