The Mkhwanazi clan of the Mpukunyoni traditional authority in Mtubatuba has apologised to King Misuzulu KaZwelithini after their protest over the partitioning of their land sparked fury and led to some people hurling insults at the Zulu monarch.
The clan trekked to the Mashobeni Royal Palace in Pongola with an undisclosed number of cattle to meet the king and iron out their differences.
The spokesperson of the clan, Goodwill Mkhwanazi, told the Sunday World that they decided to apologise to clearly demonstrate that the people who insulted the king on social media were not sent by them.
The clan dismissed the group of critics as unknown rogues.
Mkhwanazi added that while they were aggrieved by the king’s decision to partition their chiefdom and place the mineral-rich portion under the control of Qiniso Ncube, they always believed that the matter should be resolved through civil means.
“We are respectful people; we never sent anyone to hurl insults at the king, and we have to meet the king and explain that. We don’t want rogue people to use our plight to denigrate the dignity of the monarch.
“So, I can confirm that we will apologize today [Monday] and resolve the matter,” he stated.
Ncube is an overseer, not a chief
The king’s office confirmed that the Mkhwanazi clan has met King Misuzulu and apologised, putting the matter to bed.
The decision comes after on Sunday the Mkhwanazi clan held an imbizo, which was addressed by the MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs in KwaZulu-Natal, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, who clarified that Ncube is an overseer, not an inkosi (chief).
The imbizo was convened after there were threats to protest against the king’s decision by blocking the N2 route, which connects Durban and Richards Bay to northern KwaZulu-Natal, Eswatini, and Mozambique, among other areas.
However, Buthelezi’s pronouncement elicited a backlash from the Ncubes, who claimed that he was undermining the king’s authority on the matter and that he was being selective, as other kings’ appointees have “not been targeted”.
