Tribe re-groups to fight for kingship
ALMOST a year after the constitutional court dismissed an appeal against a judgement of the North Gauteng high court that the Shangaan's Gaza kingdom did not exist anymore and that Mpisane Eric Nxumalo had no right to the Vatsonga-Machangani's throne, the tribe is re-grouping to continue the fight.
Orlando Chauke
LIMPOPO – ALMOST a year after the constitutional court dismissed an appeal against a judgement of the North Gauteng high court that the Shangaan’s Gaza kingdom did not exist anymore and that Mpisane Eric Nxumalo had no right to the Vatsonga-Machangani’s throne, the tribe is re-grouping to continue the fight.
In its ruling, the constitutional court based its judgement of the case on the Commission on Traditional Disputes and Claims’ report, which dismissed Nxumalo’s claim mainly on the basis that the kingdom of Gaza had disintegrated between 1894 and 1897 before September 1922, the date from which the commission was mandated to investigate South African kingships. The constitutional court also ruled in Nxumalo’s favour when it upheld his appeal against the order of the high court concerning the president’s decision to overlook the Shangaan’s kingdom after the commission had presented its final findings. The president had apparently used the new act which gave him powers to decide whether a tribe deserved a kingdom or not, instead of using the previous act that was in use when Nxumalo’s claim was lodged in 2006. The verdict threw a life-jacket to the Shangaan’s fight for kingship.
Now led by Hlayiseka Robert Khosa as their chairperson, a group of Vatsonga-Machangani tribe met at Giyani Information Centre on Sunday to discuss strategies that would force the government to grant them their own king like other tribes in the country.
Their main strategy is to unite all Vatsonga-Machangani both in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, including those who were opposing Nxumalo’s claim for Vatsonga-Machangani’s kingship. “We want to unite everybody for the sake of the interests of our people,” explained Khosa.
A task team was formed and they would brief the committee in their next meeting on August 16. Another issue that was raised was the renaming of Giyani Information Centre after Gaza kingdom’s king Hosi Nghunghunyani whose statue is the main attraction at the centre. “As far as renaming is concerned, we have sent a proposal for consideration to Giyani Municipality.”
