King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu’s first wife, Queen Sibongile Dlamini-Zulu, has brought an application before court for the recusal of Judge Isaac Madondo in the Zulu Royal matter.
Dlamini-Zulu submitted before the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday that KwaZulu-Natal deputy judge president, Madondo, may have a conflict of interest in the matter.
This comes as Queen Sibongile, who wants to inherit 50 percent of the estate of the late King as she says they were married in civil rites and she is the first wife, submitted that Madondo oversaw one of the defendants' marriages to the late King Goodwill Zwelithini.
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Senior Counsel Nigel Redman, representing Queen Sibongile, submitted that he is basing this on a report by a Durban newspaper and he said they need to determine whether there would be a need to file for an urgent application for Madondo to recuse himself.
Madondo asked the court to deal with the relief sought by Queen Sibongile for the court to declare the other marriages “invalid”.
Madondo wanted to know whether there is indeed in the papers a submission relating to a request for the invalidation of the other marriages.
The large part of the discussion was spent in legal argument over whether the legal team of Queen Sibongile had correctly filed papers to have the other five marriages declared invalid.
The main argument of Tuesday morning's proceedings has been that Queen Sibongile did not file a declaration order regarding the degeneration of the other marriage as nullified.
This as Queen Sibongile was married under a civil marriage and the estate would be shared as they married under community of property and the other marriages would then be precluded.
The matter has been adjourned for lunch.
