MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi sides with AbaKhwanazi chieftaincy in Dukuduku standoff

Izinduna killed amid dispute between clans

King Misuzulu kaZwelithini and Zulu traditional prime minister Thulasizwe Buthelezi at eMbongombongweni in Phongolo, KwaZulu-Natal. Picture: SANDILE NDLOVU
King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, right, with Thulasizwe Buthelezi at eMbongombongweni in Phongolo, KwaZulu-Natal. File picture.

KwaZulu-Natal co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi has made his stance clear on the land dispute between the AbaKhwanazi and the Ncube clans in Mtubatuba in the northern part of the province.

The two clans are at loggerheads over the control of the Dukuduku area. The area is rich in minerals and home to the world-renowned iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

The standoff ensued after Zulu king Misuzulu kaZwelithini appointed Qiniso Ncube as an overseer of Dukuduku. In return, Ncube donated 20 cows to the king.

The king’s move sparked anger among the AbaKhwanazi clan, who threatened to separate themselves from the Zulu monarch.

Speaking at an imbizo on Sunday, Buthelezi said there is no need for confusion about who is supposed to control Dukuduku.

“The area of Dukuduku falls under Mtubatuba, which is under the chieftaincy of the AbaKhwanazi, and it must be clear there is only one chief in Mtubatuba — inkosi Ntokozo Mkhwanazi.

“Qiniso Ncube is not inkosi.”

He warned Ncube to refrain from calling himself an inkosi.

In response, Ncube accused Buthelezi of politicking.

“MEC Buthelezi is divisive; that is why the king removed him as the traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch,” he said.

KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said their job is to maintain law and order, adding he had deployed a high-level team from the province to take over an investigation in relation to five murder cases of izinduna in Mtubatuba.

It is alleged that the killings of these izinduna took place after an impasse between the two warring clans.

TimesLIVE


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