Contralesa state would-be Free State king is ‘illegitimate’ amid land dispute

The king of an allegedly castaway tribe in the Free State is again flexing his disputed authority.

King Letsitsa III of the Bakholokoe Kingdom, identified by government as Seka Moloi, has been claiming for several years that he is rightfully due land in the province.

However, the body overseeing traditional leaders again refuted Moloi’s claim after he was implicated in an alleged land grab.

The king has since explained that he feels no obligation to adhere to current structures, who he accused of “political gatekeeping” with “ahistorical” interpretations.

‘Pretending to be king a crime’

Moloi argued in 2023 that his tribe was sidelined during the pre-1994 Codesa negotiations and that his people never regained their recognition.

The Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) explained on Monday that Moloi was not considered a royal.

“Mr Seka Moloi is not a legitimate and recognised traditional leader.

“The public and authorities should note that Mr Seka Moloi is using the name of Letsitsa III which is a clan name accorded to Morena Paulus Moloi who is the recognised traditional leader of Makholokoe traditional community in the Free State province,” Contralesa explained.

Contralesa confirmed that the Free State’s five recognised traditional communities were the Bakoena ba Mopeli, Batlokoa ba Mota, Makholokoe, Batlokwa ba Mokgalong and Barolong boo Seleka.

Contralesa added that anyone pretending to be a king was in contravention of Section 7(9) of the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act, with punishment including a fine or three years in jail.

However, Moloi’s ID issued in September 2019, which has been seen by The Citizen, confirms his name is King Letsitsa Moloi.

Subject allegedly occupies farm

AfriForum wrote to the Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae on Monday requesting information on how she was dealing with the would-be monarch.

The civil rights group’s head of intercultural relations and cooperation Barend Uys stated that a farm near Harrismith had begun legal proceedings against Moloi and another man.

AfriForum, who are not directly involved in the case, cited media reports that state a man claiming to be Moloi’s subject had led the alleged occupation of parts of a farm near Harrismith based on the instructions of his king.  

Listing previous public incidents involving Moloi, including a 2025 case against the ANC national executive, Uys said the province needed to act.

“What actions have the Free State government taken in the interest of law and order, property rights, investor confidence and the protection of the institution of traditional leadership in the Free State?

“If no action was taken, the provincial government needs to explain why this is the case,” Uys stated.

The Free State premier’s office and the department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs were contacted by The Citizen on Tuesday but no response had been received at the time of publication.

Threat to investment

Uys explained that not only was Moloi possibly taking advantage of “desperate” community members, his insistence on using the Letsitsa III title allowed him to exploit it for business purposes.  

“It is really dangerous when somebody purports to be somebody else, especially a traditional leader engaging with possible sponsors and investors on what they believe are community development projects,” Uys told The Citizen.

“This casts a shadow on the legitimate and recognised traditional leaders. This is not a legitimate person and legitimate and recognised leaders will never instruct anybody to do anything illegal.

“They really need to take action against this individual and they need to take whatever steps necessary to stop him from misleading people,” Uys concluded.

Contralesa’s Free State executive also asked authorities to intervene, stating that Moloi’s actions were destabilising.

“Traditional leaders play an important role in ensuring stability and development at the grassroots level. We will not allow our integrity and reputation to be tarnished.

“We cannot afford to allow law breakers to cause chaos and instability that will hamper investment and economic growth,” stated Frees State Contralesa chair Kgosi Gaboilelwe Moroka.

‘Institutional arrogance’

Soil of Africa, an organisation dedicated to upholding the legitimacy of African monarchs through bloodline, called Contralesa a “political appendage”.

“What has been presented to the public is not truth, but institutional arrogance designed to police South African identity through colonial statutes and post 1994 political gatekeeping.

“Let it be placed on record that King Letsitsa III Moloi has never submitted himself to Cogta because he upholds a principled position that South African kingdoms are sovereign institutions by bloodline, history and philosophy, not extensions of government departments,” Soil of Africa President Bongani Ramontja stated.

Moloi’s representatives state the monarch’s claims predate existing legislation and have roots in the foundation of the ANC’s precursor, the South African Native National Congress.

“South African royalty was never born in Parliament, never validated by gazette notices, and never crowned by politicians.

“We also reject the deliberate character assassination that equates resistance to land dispossession with criminality. South African land was stolen through illegal conquest and legislation, not consent,” Ramontja concluded.

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