Johannesburg – The King of Bapedi Victor Thulare of the Bapedi Kingdom in Limpopo has passed away at the age of 40.
Thulare’s death comes just 8 months after he was recognized by President Cyril Ramaphosa as a King of the Bapedi Nation following a decade long protracted legal battle with his uncle KK Sekhukhune over the position.
Thulare was the son of the late King Rhyne Thulare who died in 2007, while Victor was still too young to be crowned King.
And as result, his uncle Acting King KK Sekhukhune ascended the throne in an acting capacity while waiting for Thulare to become of age.
But things didn’t go as planned, because KK, as Acting Sekhukhune was known, refused to step down leading to many legal battles over the rightful King of the Bapedi.
Victor Thulare was finally declared as the rightful heir to the throne by the Constitutional Court in 2019 paving the way for President Cyril Ramaphosa to award him a certificate of recognition as King of the Bapedi.
Take a look at when the King received his recognition certificate from the South African government below:
Deputy Minister Bapela handed over the certificate of recognition to His Majesty, King Thulare Victor Thulare lll of the Bapedi nation. pic.twitter.com/FDyZmoRlQM
— NationalCoGTA 🇿🇦 (@NationalCoGTA) May 2, 2020
Thulare according to those close to the kingship died in the early hours of Wednesday morning at a private hospital in Pretoria.
Those close to the family states that he died after a short illness, but suspicions are that he might have succumbed to COVID-19 related illness.
However this could not be confirmed by the family at the time of publishing.
Thulare’s advisor and Family Lawyer Mathews Phosa said the matter was now ceased with the Royal Council, and a meeting was planned for tomorrow to advise on the matter.
Thulare who had already assumed his duties as King, had began with his plans to unite the Bapedi Nation, and had even extended an olive branch to his uncle KK, calling for peace between them.
This is a developing story and more information will be added once the family releases a statement.
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