MGOBODZI – After a bitter war over the chieftaincy of the Mawewe Tribal Authority, Inkhosatana Khulile Mkhatshwa was finally officially confirmed as the rightful heir to the throne.
Officially introduced to the entire community last Saturday at her official inauguration, she committed herself to working towards the development of her community.
“We live in different and challenging times and we live in an era of technology and opportunities. We therefore need to stand up as leaders and fight for our people, help empower them by linking them to both governmental and private sector’s doors of opportunity. I take this position with pride, knowing full well the responsibilities that come with being a leader of such a big community. I want to assure them, that I will always remain their child and servant,” said the newly inaugurated Inkhosatana.
Her inauguration just added to the meagre number of female chiefs in the province and will go down in the history books as the youngest female chief.
She said one of her primary goals was to fight illegal land grabs in her area. Land invasion is said to be very rife in this subregion, caused by the influx of people from the two neighbouring countries, Swaziland and Mozambique.
The provincial chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders, Kgoshi Lameck Mokoena appealed for calm and tolerance within this divided community.
“Every family and every community has trouble but it is essential that whenever there are problems we sit down as a family and community and try to find amicable solutions without resorting to burning tyres and government property.
“This chief is not the first and will probably not be the last, so what I am trying to say is let us support her and those who will come after her. Let us learn to wait for our turn to lead so when our time comes, we are more than ready and mature,” Mokoena appealed.
