Prince Mbonisi Zulu, the brother of late King Goodwill Zwelithini, said the royal family had been dealt a double blow after the death of the monarch and his son Prince Lethukuthula Zulu.

Mbonisi was speaking to the media on Wednesday at the Randburg magistrate’s court after the postponement of the case against five people accused of Zulu's murder.

Security guards found the 50-year-old dead at his home in a Northwold, Johannesburg, residential complex on November 6.

Tshegofatso Moremane, 30, Margaret Koaile, 42, Portia Mmola, 28, Gontshe Tlholoe, 30, and Dakalo Mbedzi, 32, stand accused of Zulu's murder.

Their lawyer, Sibusiso Mkhwanazi, told the court that the four women wished to apply for bail again after their bid to be released failed last year. Bail was only granted to Mbedzi.

The court postponed their case to April 21 for a bail hearing.

Mkhwanazi said the four would apply for bail on new facts that pertained to the investigation.

Prosecutor Dinesh Nandkissor informed the court that investigations were continuing. “Toxicology and postmortem results are outstanding. The state requests the matter to be postponed to May 19 for finalisation of the investigation,” he said.

Mbonisi said the family was worried about the delays in the case. “The only worrying factor is that it is dragging so long, but we do understand that there is still an investigation throughout this process. We are happy to wait for the results,” he said.

Asked how the family was coping since the Zulu king and his son died, Mbonisi said: “It’s early days for us. It is difficult for us to cope mentally and physically, but we do hope with the prayers of the Zulu nation and the entire world, we will get through this.”

He said there was hope that there would be stability in the royal family after the king’s death.

He refused to respond to a question on who is likely to take over the reins after the king's passing.

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