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Durban — The British Royal family have shrugged off demands made by Zulu monarch Goodwill Zwelithini that they reimburse the Zulu kingdom for destroying his great-grandfather’s palace in 1879. Zwelithini said he didn’t harbour any animosity towards the “English emperor” but said it would be “nice if the English kingdom would one day compensate us”, reported The Mercury. Laura King, a senior communications officer for the Royal Family, fobbed off Zwelithini’s comments. “This wouldn’t be something which we would comment on I’m afraid,” she said. The Zulu royal had been speaking at the sod-turning of the new Sandlwana Heritage Project in Dundee.

The project saw the unveiling of a multi-million rand cultural village, News24 reported on Monday. “This has always been a dream of his, the king has always wanted something like this,” said Zwelithini’s spokesperson, Prince Thulani Zulu.

The Battle of Isandlwana took place on January 22, 1879. The British Army was defeated when about 24,000 Zulu warriors reportedly attacked a British camp of about 1,700 near Isandlwana Mountain. It is reported that 1,300 of the British forces were killed. Zwelithini’s great-grandfather King Cetshwayo’s Ondini Palace was set on fire by the British army on July 4, 1879. — AFP