King Goodwill Zwelethini KaBhekuzulu nació el 14 de julio de 1948 en Nongoma, Zulu Kingdom [ahora South Africa]. Murió el 12 de marzo de 2021 en Sudáfrica.
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.