What it was like reporting from inside the Zulu royal palace during a time of mourning Share Senior political journalist Sihle Mavuso reflects on his coverage of two Zulu royal funerals and the tense succession debate as he takes readers behind-the-scenes at the royal palace. Beyond one’s call of duty as a journalist to write and inform the public, one indirectly records history. That was the case for me from March 12 to 18 and April 29 to May 8 this year. The process of indirectly archiving history started on March 12, when King Goodwill Zwelithini, the longest-reigning Zulu king, passed away at age 72, throwing the monarch and the Zulu nation into mourning.