Africa-Press – Eswatini. Eswatini Royal delegation, with the blessing of Their Majesties attended eMachobeni Royal Palace Marula Festival in northern KwaZulu-Natal this past weekend.
The Eswatini Royal delegation included Queen Ntokozo kaMayisela, Queen Nozizwe Mulela and queen-to-be Sihle Mdluli according to a reported carried by the TimesLive.
The three-day celebration, organised by the KwaZulu-Natal department of arts and culture in partnership with the Zulu royal family, drew thousands of people from across the uMkhanyakude district to honour the first harvest of the marula fruit.
Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini is said to have performed the sacred ritual of new beginnings.
“Dressed in traditional regalia, he received calabashes and 20-litre containers of freshly brewed amarula beer brought by women from villages across the district and took the first ceremonial sip, symbolically declaring the drink open to the nation,” reported the TimesLive
It is said prayers were offered for rain, fertile soil and improved yields, reaffirming the Zulu kingdom’s deep ties to land and food security.
The South African leading publication revealed that this year’s celebration carried renewed vibrancy, much of it embodied by the king’s third queen, Nomzamo KaMyeni. Photographed in high spirits, Queen Nomzamo, affectionally known as Ndlunkulu Mdolomba, was seen preparing amarula beer within the palace grounds, her presence blending royal dignity with community warmth.
Since her appointment as head of eMachobeni Royal Palace under the Jozini Local Municipality, she has turned the palace into a hub of empowerment through her Sizowakha OkaZulu Foundation. The foundation’s amarula and honey project, showcased during the festival, has grown into a community enterprise. Women harvest marula fruit and wild honey, producing value-added goods for local markets and generating income while preserving indigenous knowledge systems.
Rows of neatly packaged honey jars and amarula products stood as proof that tradition can drive economic opportunity. The festival also marked the graduation of women trained in small-business management, agriculture, co-operative leadership and financial literacy.
Many have since launched enterprises or expanded subsistence farming into income-generating ventures. As drums echoed into the evening, the deeper meaning of Umkhosi Wamaganu resonated.
It is a thanksgiving ritual, a celebration of renewal, culture and hope. While King Misuzulu prayed for agricultural prosperity, the work of Queen Nomzamo’s foundation demonstrated that tradition and development can move forward together.
