ANOTHER row has erupted in Matabeleland over the restoration of the Ndebele monarchy with some sections suggesting that the next king would not necessarily have to be from the Khumalo royal family.
Report by Khanyile Mlotshwa Staff Reporter
Ndebele Prince Zwidekalanga Khumalo rekindled the debate when he suggested that reviving the Ndebele monarchy would help the nation heal the effects of Gukurahundi.
Contributing to the debate, writer and political activist Emmanuel Ndzimuunami suggested a collegiate of kings for Mthwakazi.
“I had an interesting talk with Effie Ncube, a great constitutional lawyer, today and I liked his take on the idea of the re-establishment of a Ndebele monarchy as proposed by the Mthwakazi Movement,” he said.
“We both agreed that there is nothing wrong with the revival of the Ndebele monarchy, but what’s wrong is to then seek to impose that monarchy on everyone else, even those who aren’t Ndebele. As a way forward, he said it would be best for the various ethnic groups — Bakalanga, AmaNdebele, BaNambya, BaTonga, Khoisan, Venda, Sotho and others — to form a ‘collegiate monarchy’. This will mean that each one of these groups brings their highest-ranking traditional leader to the table and they all stand as equal and have a rotating chairmanship of that ‘kingship’.”
In another thread on Facebook, Lookout Mabanga, seemed to agree with Ndzimuunami when he said: “The Mthwakazian Ndebeles is not a tribe, but it refers to all tribes that are found in Mthwakazi.
“So the installation of the king doesn’t mean it is the installation of a king of a particular tribe,” he said. “It is the installation of the king of the Ndebele Kingdom as it was founded by King Mzilikazi.
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“Anyone from any tribe can be a king. I used to think like that (only Khumalos should be kings), but not anymore. Anyone can be a king from any tribe. In Bakalanga, Venda and Sotho, we have capable individuals who can take over from where King Lobengula left. We must not look at Khumalos only.”
Another contributor, Joseph Mthethwa, immediately objected, arguing that the kingship of the Ngunis could never be taken by other tribes.
“We have Bulelani Lobengula Khumalo, son of Mncedisi, son of Rhodes Lobengula, founder of Highlanders Football Club, who was the son of Njube, the son of Lobengula of Mzilikazi,” he said.
“This country will fall and be picked by the birds if ever we have a non-Khumalo king.”
Contacted for his view on the issue, Prince Khumalo said he had “no comment”.
“It’s democracy and people are free to discuss,” he said.
