The funeral service of the amaNdebele monarch, King Enock Makhosonke II, took a dramatic turn when his father-in-law publicly revealed the king and his wife were in the midst of divorce proceedings before his death.
King Makhosonke II, born Enock Mabhena, died on 9 June, at the age of 65, after four decades on the throne.
His special category 1 funeral, with military honours, as declared by President Cyril Ramaphosa, was held at the Solomon Mahlangu Stadium in KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga, on Sunday.
Father-in-law reveals divorce proceedings at funeral
In a shocker, Lesotho royal Prince Masupha Seeiso, told mourners, including Deputy President Paul Mashatile and Mpumalanga premier Mandla Ndlovu, that his daughter, Sekhothali Martha Mabhena, and the king were estranged at the time of his death.
He said the royal couple were in the middle of a divorce.
King Makhosonke II and Queen Sekhothali were married in October 2019 in a colourful ceremony at Engwenyameni palace in Klipfontein, near KwaMhlanga.
At the time of his death, the couple were allegedly living separately. The prince said the matter had escalated beyond a family dispute and was before the courts.
Prince Masupha, the younger brother of King Moshoeshoe II and uncle of King Letsie III said his daughter had asked him not to say anything. However, he added that he could not do so.
“The deceased was fed up with my daughter, there are divorce proceedings in the High Court in Pretoria. “You will hear about the divorce now that he has died.
“A divorce is not a verbal process; it is a written document with both sides,” Seeiso told mourners.
Appeal for dignity during mourning
He pleaded with the amaNdebele nation to treat the queen with dignity and respect for the duration of the mourning period.
Speaking in Sesotho, he said: “I am pleading with the Ndebele people not to make her suffer. “She is not leaving because of her own accord or because of you, but because her husband was tired of her.
“I am asking that you be calm and be civil. She will take nothing from you. “Let us wait until the mourning has passed so she can go back to where she lives. The divorce will come and go,” Masupha said.
Previous allegations and marital controversies
In November 2024, City Press reported the queen was allegedly having an affair with the AmaZulu traditional prime minister, Thulasise Buthelezi, but the duo denied the allegations.
The monarch’s previous marriage, to Nosipho Mnguni, also ended in drama in 2017 after the king successfully applied for the annulment of the union, saying he did not consent to the marriage.
Despite the payment of lobola in 2014, the KwaMhlanga divorce court ruled the marriage void.
Mnguni had filed for divorce in 2015 and sought an equal division of his assets under the Customary Marriages Act.
Because the court ruled the marriage void, the king avoided the risk of losing half of his estate, including his pension.
The Mabhena royal household has not publicly reacted on the latest revelations.
The king’s last appearance was in March at the 46th annual commemoration of King Silamba at the Komjekejeke heritage site in Wallmansthal, Gauteng.
