Controversial but revered king of South Africa’s largest ethnic group, Goodwill Zwelithini, has been reported dead on Friday.

King Zwelithini died after weeks of battling diabetes-related illness on his hospital bed, the royal palace announced.

The king wielded great influence among millions of Zulus through his largely ceremonial and spiritual role despite having no official power in modern South Africa.

During a decade-long reign, he revived festivals celebrating virgin women.

However, he came under heavy barrage of criticism for fuelling the deadly xenophobic violence and enjoyed a lavish and hedonistic lifestyle in a country where millions live in poverty.

In a statement signed by Mangosuthu Buthelezi, a powerful veteran politician who is also a Zulu prince, he declared that;

“It is with the utmost grief that I inform the nation of the passing of His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini… King of the Zulu nation.” 

“The king was admitted to hospital last month for diabetes. Tragically, while still in hospital, His Majesty’s health took a turn for the worse and he subsequently passed away in the early hours of this morning,” the statement said.

Born in Nongoma, a small town in the south-eastern Kwa-Zulu Natal province, Zwelithini ascended the throne in 1971 during the apartheid era.

President Cyril Ramaphosa also disclosed that the king “will be remembered as a much-loved, visionary monarch who made an important contribution to cultural identity, national unity and economic development”.

On his return from hiding over assassination fears, Zwelithini was crowned the eighth Zulu monarch at the age of 23.

Under the white-minority regime which ended in 1994, kings ruled homelands where most blacks were confined to defuse broader national struggles.

In 2015, Zwelithini gained international notoriety for anti-foreigner remarks suggesting immigrants were responsible for rising lawlessness in South Africa and that they needed to be kicked out.

The remarks were blamed for inflaming a spate of xenophobic attacks on mostly African migrants, which left seven dead, thousands displaced and revived memories of xenophobic bloodshed in 2008 when 62 people were killed.

Zwelithini later denied whipping up xenophobic sentiments, saying his remarks were taken out of context.

“If it was true I said people must kill each other, the whole country would (have been) reduced to ashes,” he said.

King Zwelithini was aged 72 as at the time of his death.