Thembu king faces nation
NKOSI PATEKILE HOLOMISA and Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo. Pictures: LULAMILE FENI
The much-anticipated discussion on the secession of AbaThembu from South Africa to form their independent Thembuland state yesterday turned into consideration of a battle plan to assist King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo in his court appeal and raise funds for the case, writes Lubabalo Ngcukana.
The media was barred from the meeting in Bumbane Great Place while the 60-odd people, including chiefs and Thembus in general, gathered in a small tent.
A source in the meeting said the issue of the secession, although it was the second item on the agenda, was never discussed.
“The priority in that meeting was the fact that AbaThembu want to assist their king in terms of raising funds for him in the upcoming appeal case,” said the source.
Dalindyebo was last year convicted of serious and violent crimes including arson, grievous assault, kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.
He was sentenced to an effective 15 years in jail by the Mthatha High Court, which later granted him leave to appeal against both conviction and sentence. The State was also granted leave to appeal for a harsher sentence.
The source described the meeting as having been very “intense and sensitive”.
“We know that the appeal process would be expensive and we want to come up with a plan on how we are going to get the money so the king can be prepared for his case,” the source said.
Dalindyebo was also part of the meeting, which started at 1pm and lasted five hours.
Another source, who also did not want to be named, said the AbaThembu were of the view that an affidavit alleging political conspiracy by an ANC consortium led by former President Nelson Mandela and former Eastern Cape premier Makhenkesi Stofile should be reconsidered.
The source said a four-member task team including one of the AbaThembu’s most influential chiefs, Patekile Holomisa – who is also president of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa – was tasked with finding out from both of these leaders what they knew about the alleged conspiracy.
Another source said some in the meeting believed there needed to be communication channels opened between Mandela, Dalindyebo and Stofile.
Dalindyebo, in a bid last June to have judgment in his criminal case set aside, filed an application, which he later withdrew, in which he named Mandela and Stofile as leaders of an ANC plot to dethrone him as king.
Also coming out of yesterday’s meeting was a view that lawyer Votani Majola, the convener of the King Dalindyebo Justice Task Team, be stopped from issuing statements to the media on behalf of AbaThembu and the king.
Majola was not part of the meeting and on Thursday played down the meeting as an “ordinary and non-decisive meeting”. In past weeks he has issued statements saying the AbaThembu were seceding from SA to form an independent state of Thembuland, and claiming four major provinces as part of the land of AbaThembu.
Holomisa, who briefed the media on behalf of AbaThembu yesterday, described the meeting as productive, frank, serious and friendly.
He said as there had not been enough time to discuss the secession issue – the second item on the agenda – another meeting was scheduled for February 21, when most of the AbaThembu were expected.
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If they have to raise funds for the case, it makes you wonder ho they are going to run their bit of turf. Scary stuff.
Why was the media barred? These guys are paid out of public money, discussing an issue of public importance and they treat it like a private meeting.
This disease of treating the public as if they are not important must stop. If traditional leaders want to treat their affairs as private, let them earn their money other than from the public purse.
What a pathetic attempt to avoid his sentence. Let him have his appeal, then send him to jail. Who do the affected people feel after what he had done to them? He is a despot. Find a new king and forget about this guy.
Dillusional burstards, now claiming Tata uMandela is in a plot to detrone him. I tell you they are smoking marijuana mixed with mandrax.
He learned for the best, leaders do not want to face the music, what do we expect?
*Singing* I want my own state because i’m high…..i’ve accused Madiba & Stofile b’coz i’m high……b’coz i’m high , b’coz im high, b’coz i’m hhhhhiiiiiiggggghhhhhh…..!!!!!!!!
As a citizen of this region i regard myself as one of the King’s subjects and, as such, i respect his views and beliefs. however i am worried about his legal resources, especially Mr Majola, his attorney, whose track record tells us that he is not shy of controversy.
FRANK SERIOUS AND FRIENDLY????? THEY DONT EVEN KNOW WHATS POTTING!!! MAYBE THEY NEED A HOLIDAY SHAME…. THATS WHY THEY DECIDED TO SECEDE!! THEY NEEDED TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY BUT COULDNT BECAUSE THE KING WAS NOT ALLOWED. HAHAHA THIS KING IS CHASING HIS TAIL
Andile ! ! ! !
My brother, never, ever in your life consider to be a subject of any living entity, never rate yorself that low to any living being, be they kings or queens. Yu no body’s creature, stop thinkin like that, its brain washing, break away from such mentalities, and be free, from mental bondages
I dont want to be part of Thembulant & Sick Advocate Majola & his abusive & murder so called king Nyo!! nyo! Nyo! 
LMAO! Of course they know wots potting…
They are!
All right-thinkings SAcans MUST actively campaign against the proposed breakaway.
We should be calling on abaThembu and the broader society to distance themselves from the “divisive and misleading so-called secession from South Africa idea”.
Members of the ANC are also members of the abaThembu nation and we cannot expect the ANC, which fought against racialism and tribalism, to now support a bid to divide the nation along tribal lines.This is yet another attempt to form a 10th province in South Africa.
We should and will be strongly opposed to this misleading and ambitious idea of King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo’s so-called Justice Forum led by Votani Majola, which seeks to secede from South Africa.
The call for the secession of abaThembu territory from the greater South Africa is reminiscent of past failed attempts by certain groups to create ‘a 10th province’ to accommodate misplaced fears for the new country that today enjoys one identity as a nation with diverse cultures.
We should dismiss Dalindyebo’s claim that he commanded millions of subjects in six provinces across the country.
This proposal championed by Majola is an attempt by a very small clique in Eastern Cape to manipulate the vulnerable and ignorant in our society by disguising a high court challenge to King Dalindyebo as a campaign to secede from South Africa.
Dalindyebo had suggested President Jacob Zuma should apologise to him for the public humiliation he suffered when an Umthatha high court ruling jailed him for 15 years.
The king also demanded R1billion in compensation from the government.
The trial of the king last December had to take its course.
I can not find any political, economic or social reason to justify the call for a breakaway from South Africa.
Is “Mama Thembu’s Wedding” going to be the national anthem, or has that been appropriated by Zuma?
Dave,
I doubt it since SAMRO would demand royalties payment whenever and wherever it is used as an anthem.
Artistic property has to be protected just like in the case of the Ras who murdered the SA anthem in France.
Onsite Now
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