Johannesburg – It is still not clear who will replace the chief of the Ndzundza nation, Inkosi Sipho Mahlangu, who passed on a few months ago.
Mahlangu was the leader of the Ndebele-speaking tribe known as the Ndzundza nation based in Mthambothini in Siyabuswa, Mpumalanga Highveld.
In an interview with Sunday World on Thursday, the royal house spokesperson, Prince Zilani Ralph Mahlangu, said the family would meet next weekend to discuss and announce the name of the new chief.
“We will indeed meet on Saturday to discuss and conclude who will be leading the Ndzundza people, so on Sunday, we will make the announcement. For now, I cannot divulge who will be crowned as the chief because it is still a secret.
“According to me, all the children of the chief are well-prepared and ready to take over the throne as they were groomed well. The leader that has gone to the land of the ancestors was a great leader, therefore, we are expecting the next chief to be great in his way. But I promise you, he will be the leader of the people, just like his predecessor,” said Mahlangu.
Mahlangu thanked the nation for its patience and allowing the royal family a chance to perform all the necessary rituals to prepare for the installation of the new Ndzundza nation’s leader.
However, this newspaper has been reliably informed that the current regent, Inkosi Sipho Sydney Mahlangu, might be the one taking over the throne.
According to the Ndebele culture, the person who acts as a regent after the passing of the chief is likely to succeed the departed leader, said an anonymous source close to the situation.
When commenting on the matter, Kgosi Mathupha Mokoena, the president of Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa), said: “As Contralesa, we are confident that the royal family will do the right thing. I hope they will follow all their known practice that they always use when identifying a successor. Let us allow the inner royal family to manage this sensitive matter.”
Before his death, Inkosi Mahlangu was chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders.
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