Eastern Cape chief punished for forcing ‘adulterous’ couple to have sex in public

Eastern Cape Chief Bhekabambo Ntola of the Amantshangase Traditional Council was suspended without pay for 10 years after he allegedly punished an adulterous couple by forcing them to have sex in full view of their spouses and other people.

The incident happened in Mbizana in 2016, but nothing was done about it until it was reported to Premier Oscar Mabuyane.

The Eastern Cape Cogta department announced the suspension in a statement.

It said MEC Xolile Nqatha made the decision after an adhoc committee he appointed to investigate the allegations, recommended Ntola’s immediate suspension as a traditional leader.

In conducting its work, the committee gave everybody affected, including witnesses, an opportunity to present their cases, the department said.

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In its statement, the department added:

“The committee has verified the allegations against Mr Ntola and found him guilty of humiliating the two individuals. The committee has instructed Mr Ntola to apologise to the complainant, her family and to the public. He has also been ordered to apologise to the man accused of committing adultery and to his family as well.”

It added that Ntola was also directed to undergo counselling during the period of suspension, assisted by the royal family, and to submit reports to the department.

Cogta spokesperson Mamkeli Ngam said Nqatha had a duty to ensure that leaders and institutions who fell within the ambit of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, discharged their duties in a dignified and humane manner that was gender sensitive.

He said society was witnessing a scourge of gender-based violence of extreme proportions and added that the MEC vowed take action to protect women and children.

“I have carefully considered and applied my mind to the report, which included aggravating and mitigating factors, as well as the findings and recommendations due to the seriousness of the misconduct he committed that affected the emotional and psychological being of the victims badly and the traditional community at large,” Nqatha added.

“I also considered Mr Ntola’s personal circumstances in mitigation of the seriousness of [the] misconduct but unfortunately, [the] aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating factors in this case. It is clear from the report that Mr Ntola committed the act of misconduct and that is a disgrace to the traditional leadership institution at large. I therefore agreed with [the] sanctions as [recommended] in the report,” the MEC also said.

Ngam said a criminal case has also been opened against Ntola.

Malibongwe Dayimani