King Goodwill Zwelethini KaBhekuzulu est né le 14 juillet 1948 à Nongoma, Zulu Kingdom [aujourd'hui South Africa]. Il est mort le 12 mars 2021 en Afrique du sud.
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.