The decision by King Misuzulu KaZwelithini to partition the mineral-rich chiefdom of the Mkhwanazis in Mtubatuba in northern KwaZulu-Natal has left the clan up in arms.
Some members of the clan have threatened to go as far as seceding from the Zulu kingdom if the decision is not reversed.
They have also threatened to close down the vital N2 route, which is used to transport essential goods from the ports of Durban and Richards Bay and move them to northern KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces, and Eswatini and Mozambique.
The partitioning was announced by King Misuzulu last Friday at the Mashobeni royal palace in Pongola. He announced this during a ceremony to prepare for the installation of new chiefs (Amakhosi).
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The king used the event to announce that Qiniso Ncube would now oversee the land between the Umfolozi and Hluhluwe rivers along the N2. This effectively gave Ncube control of the portion that is mined by RBM (Richards Bay Minerals) and pays millions of rands in royalties.
On Monday, the Mkhwanazis were at the KwaKhangela royal palace to meet with King Misuzulu. The aim was to appeal to him to reverse the decision, saying the land historically belonged to them.
However, it appears that the matter was not resolved. This as shortly after that, one of the leaders of the delegation of the Mkhwanazis, Goodwill Mkhwanazi, sent a voice note to the clan’s WhatsApp group and threatened mayhem.
“If we don’t stand up now, we will soon have the Shikishela portion of land allocated to Phumlani Mfeka to rule it. And that will happen soon. After that, another portion of our land will be given to the Mswelis.
“But I must say that the only person we should face head-on here is the King. Not the people who are being allocated our land. If we have to take him to court, let it be. If the Zulu kingdom has to be divided and have two kings, let it be,” he said.
Calls to boycott King and his events
He then threatened that they would no longer attend any Zulu royal events called by King Misuzulu following the partitioning.
“The time to nurse egos is over. Even if this voice note can be forwarded to the king, I don’t care. I no longer have anything to do with that man; he is no longer my king. And if we fold our arms, what will the Somkhele (ancestors and ancient chiefs of the Mkhwanazi clan) say? If this decision by the king stands, we will never attend any royal event. We are clear about that. We would rather have an independent kingdom.
“Let’s meet tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10am to deliberate on this. If we have to close down the N2 for a year, let’s do so. We are no longer playing games,” Goodwill Mkhwanazi is further heard saying in the voice note.
When Sunday World asked Mkhwanazi about the voice note, he said he neither denied nor confirmed that it was him. “Because there are many Mkhwanazis who speak the same way,” he said.
Asked how their meeting with King Misuzulu on Monday went, he said they were met by royal family members, Inkosi Phathisizwe Chiliza (the deputy traditional prime of the Zulu nation) and Inkosi Sifiso Shinga.
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“Through them, the king apologised for his actions and asked to be given time to rectify the matter. They further said the king clarified that he did not appoint Ncube as a chief but as a mere overseer. We then stressed that as the Mkhwanazi clan, we don’t want Ncube either as a chief or overseer on our land,” he added.
The King’s spokesperson, Prince Thulani Zulu, could not be reached for comment. His phone was off at the time of compiling this report. The comment will be added as soon as it is received.
