WATCH: Mourners pay tribute to late King Zwelithini

King Goodwill Zwelithini was the longest-serving monarch in Zulu history, reigning for half a century through years of apartheid and democratic transition.

He died early on Friday in the eastern city of Durban, aged 72, after weeks of treatment for a diabetes-related illness.

NOW READ: President Ramaphosa to deliver eulogy at King Zwelithini's memorial

His remains have been taken back to his birthplace, the small southeastern town of Nongoma in Kwa-Zulu Natal province, where he will be laid to rest after midnight.

The intimate ceremony, to be conducted behind closed doors at the KwaKhethomthandayo royal residence, is referred to as a "planting" rather than a burial.

Women in elaborate necklaces and headbands danced and sang as they paraded towards the mortuary where Zwelithini's body is being kept.

Men known as "amaButho", Zulu regiments, followed the maidens in traditional leopard skins and ostrich feathers -- wielding spears, shields and clubs known as "knobkerries".

The procession marched behind a banner that read "thank you for being the shining light of hope".  

Although his title did not bestow executive power, the charismatic king still had moral influence over more than 11 million Zulus, nearly a fifth of the country's population.

Zwelithini basked in the legacy of famous and defiant Zulu kings -- his ancestors -- who inflicted one of the British Empire's worst defeats in 1879.

But he was also accused of playing into the hands of the apartheid system's fight against the then banned African National Congress party, which opposed white minority rule.

Following his death, a local newspaper described him as the "custodian of Zulu culture" but also as a "useful idiot in the hands of the apartheid government".

South Africa's traditional leaders have been constitutionally recognised since the end of apartheid, and continue to play important symbolic and spiritual roles.

They advise legislators and have a say in cultural, land management and justice administration in their territories. 

The Zulu king remains the most influential of all these leaders.

Zwelithini's successor has yet to be disclosed.

The monarch had six wives and 28 children.

But his first son, who would traditionally have inherited the  throne, was killed in Johannesburg last November.

The Zulus are popularly known for their vibrant culture, especially an ancient war dance performed by the rhythmic stomping of feet.

They do not refer to a deceased kind as "dead", but say the monarch has "bowed".