Ndebele ‘chief’ causes stir in SA

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ZIMBABWEANS based in South Africa on Saturday installed a “a paramount chief” sparking debate in the Diaspora community believed to number more than three million.

ZIMBABWEANS based in South Africa on Saturday installed a “a paramount chief” sparking debate in the Diaspora community believed to number more than three million. SILAS NKALA Staff Reporter

Albert Khumalo Gumede was chosen a chief of “Mthwakazi Republic”, which is associated with a secessionist group of people from Matabeleland.

According to Zimbabweans who attended the event, at least 10 chiefs from South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal attended the colourful ceremony.

South African opposition leader Zanele Magwaza-Msibi of the National Freedom Party was also reported to have graced the occasion.

There were reports that Gumede had received the blessings of Zulu monarch King Goodwill Zwelithini.

However, the move has been critictised by descendants of the last Ndebele king Lobengula who say Gumede is not from the royal family.

Umthwakazi KaMzilikazi Cultural Association leader Nhlanhla Khumalo said the installation of the chief would be ignored.

“The truth is there is no chief for another country who can be installed in another country worse without the custodians of that area’s culture and tradition,” he said.

“The problem is that people are free to do what they want here but our culture does not allow what they have done.

“This thing was not done according to culture maybe they were doing in a political way and if so we are not involved in politics.”

“We normally meet with the South African chiefs in many of our cultural activities including the installation of the Khumalo chiefs, and in this case if the chiefs in South Africa graced the occasion we wonder how they left us when the chief is supposed to be ours.

Donald Khumalo said the people of Matabeleland living in South Africa showed that they were confused.

“Our people just concern themselves with things which have nothing to do with the development of Matabeleland,” he said.

“What is the installation of their chief in South Africa has to do with the under development of their area back home. That is just a non-event. It has nothing to do with us.”

Matojeni Cultural Association leader Albert Nyoni also said he was not aware of the installation of the chief saying as long as Matabeleland traditional leaders were not involved it would not work.

Prince Khumalo said the South African Chief Zwelithini had no influence on Mzilikazi’s people, as the Ndebele king had his own kingdom.

“Zwelithini has no right to choose a king for us. As the Ndebele people, we can only invite him for advice on some of the cultural practices associated with the event,” he said.

Some Zimbabweans took to social networks to criticise the move describing it as a nonevent.

But Blessed Sibanda a Zimbabwean based in South Africa who provided a blow by blow account of the event on Twitter defended the ceremony forcefully.

“Even if Gumede and company were wrong and no good could be drawn from their event, I say it was rather a chance to create good from it and push forward the issue of reviving uMthwakazi,” he wrote on Facebook.

“Yes, there were representative of Isilo Samabandla who honestly seek to help and this would be a spit in the face for them. “What have you done to promote uMthwakazi back home?”

Some leaders of the Mthwakazi secession lobby, including former presidential election candidate Paul Siwela, are facing treason charges. Siwela sneaked out of the country before his trial could start and is believed to be living in exile in Europe.