King Goodwill Zwelethini KaBhekuzulu was born on 14 July 1948 in Nongoma, Zulu Kingdom [now South Africa]. He died on 12 March 2021 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
He was named successor to the throne in 1968 at age 20. He led the Zulu nation, about 18% of South Africa's population, but also had family links to the Swazi and Xhosa nations.