This week the regent Bapedi Queen, Manyaku Thulare, appeared at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein, where she is appealing the decision by Polokwane High Court to reverse her appointment as the rightful person to assume the role of Bapedi nation regent leader.
This after the Marota Royal Council challenged an early court ruling to declare her the regent leader.
Immediate line of blood
Her lawyers argued that as per the principles of the Bapedi nation and in terms of the Bapedi royal authorities, the person who is the immediate line of blood should take over the reign as the leader when the king dies.
“And in this case, Queen Mother Manyuku Thulare is the immediate line of blood. And therefore her appointment as the regent leader was the right decision.”
The state, however, opposed that. It said: “It is the duty of the royal family to perform an important function to identify a person. And the fact that the Bakgoma and other immediate family members of the royal family are against Queen Mother Manyuku’s appointment is the reason we are here today.”
The state also argues that the previous decision that led to the queen’s appointment might not have considered the customary law versus the country’s constitutional principles.
“It is for this reason the big question remain whether the previous judgement fully considered the evolving nature of fully traditional leadership or not,” said Advocate of the Supreme Court of Appeal, David Untenhalter.
Queen Manyuki
Last year queen Manyuki was temporarily declared the acting queen on the Bapedi kingdom by Judge President, Moletji George Phatudi. He stressed that: “Pending the final determination of the appeal, which is before the Supreme Court of Appeal against the previous judgement by Judge Ephraim Makgoba, which dethroned her, Manyaku Maria Thulare is hereby declared as the acting queen of the Bapedi Kingdom.”
Her appointment was the death of her son, Victor Thulare III, who passed on in January 2021 at the age of 41 with a suspected Covid-19-related sickness. And he didn’t have the heir to succeed him to the throne, thus resulting in his mother’s appointment to the position. A year before his death, Thulare, who is the son of the late Rhyne, was officially recognised by President Cyril Ramaphosa as the rightful King of the Bapedi.
Before Ramaphosa’s recognition of Victor as the rightful Bapedi King, his uncle, Kgagudi Kenneth Sekhukhune (late now) was the recognised regent king. Kgagudi has been a regent since 1976 after refusing to hand over the leadership position to his brother, Rhyne, who died in 2007.
Prince Mampuru Sekwati
Prince Mampuru Sekwati, who is also from the royal house, was quoted earlier this year as saying those who were against Queen Manyaku’s recognition as the regent of the Bapedi tribe are still stuck in the past.
“You see, there is this general pandemic that is developing in the province of Limpopo where, when a woman has to ascend to a leadership position, there is a resistance.
Men will go out of their way to make sure that does not happen, just to block a woman from ascending to a position of power. These people are still living in the past. It is rather unfortunate that in this developing and modern times there are still men who think that a woman can’t lead them,” said Sekwati.
Balobedu queendom
In a similar incident, the Balobedu queendom ship is also in disarray. Some the royal council is challenging Princess Malalanabo’s recognition by Ramaphosa as rightful Rain Queen and a leader of the Balobedu nation. Masalanabo’s recognition by Ramaphosa was in 2016.
And she was given a certificate of recognition in 2021, but only to face rebellion from some of the royal council through the support of the Prince Regent, Mpapatla, who prefer her brother, Prince Lekukela, as their king, citing Masalanabo’s lack of preparation on divine processes traditionally assumed by Rain Queens, as she lives in Gauteng with the family of Mathole Motshekga.
Also in the spotlight in the Vha-Venda Kingdom, where Princess Masindi Mphephu Ramabulana is challenged by her uncle, Tony Ramabulana. The matter is awaiting a court decision to rule as to who will be the rightful leader.
