Secretary of the ANC’s powerful electoral committee, Chief Livhuwani Matsila, got the boot on Sunday when the Matsila Traditional Council terminated his duties as a traditional leader.
The Limpopo-based council said following a meeting on Saturday that Matsila was, with immediate effect, removed from the traditional leadership role at HaMatsila village.
In his place, the council anointed Vhamusanda Vho Talifhani Matsila, citing him as the legitimate heir to the throne after his late father.
“The Matsila community will now be reunited and will be under one leader,” according to senior traditional leader Thovhele Nthumeni Masia.
In his ANC role, Matsila champions President Cyril Ramaphosa’s agenda to renew the party.
The electoral committee vets all candidates for national and provincial lists, including ministers, premiers, and MECs.
The committee also has the power to disqualify unsuccessful candidates.
But back in his home village, Matsila is under siege.
Masia said in a statement that Matsila was assigned to lead the village in 2015 as part of the traditional community’s internal arrangement.
This was despite the fact that he was the first in his lineage to ascend to the throne.
It was hoped that with time, the village would reach a threshold of qualifying to be recognised as a village and that the government would recognise new headmen at some point.
But Matsila allegedly turned rogue.
“His ascension and activities have, however, brought disorder in that he started working independently.”
He allegedly ignored the existence of the traditional council and the senior traditional leader, Masia, and ultimately promoted himself and started masquerading as a chief.
“He has done this to such an extent that many leaders of society, including government departments, started to have direct dealings with him,” according to the statement.
Such incidents allegedly included the alienation of land under the Masia traditional council without the decency of involving either Masia or his council.
“To this end, a satellite police station was, without due process, established in his surrounding, financial resources in millions were injected by national government into projects without clarity.”
Heritage and cultural festivities were allegedly hosted without the knowledge of legitimate leadership.
According to the statement, the council also received an apology from VhaVenda Vho Abraham Matsila for having led a delegation that ultimately misled Masia to assign Matsila the leadership role.
“From Matsila, we got the opposite of what we had contemplated. We had assigned him responsibility in good faith.
“What made the situation worse was that there was no sign to change the way of doing things,” Masia said.
He continued: “Our last struggle is to fight politicians and the government’s role in aiding Matsila to undermine traditional leadership.
“We have seen some ministers sneaking in and sneaking out of this tiny village without any explanation.”
Matsila’s removal was announced on a day marked for celebrating heritage activities in the Matsila village.
The highlight of the ceremony was an emphasis on the role of traditional leadership in the preservation of culture and heritage.
In attendance were dignitaries including Limpopo’s MEC for sport, arts, and culture, Nakedi Sibanda-Kekana, senior traditional leaders, representatives of various organisations, and members of the Masia community.
This is a developing story…
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