Chief accused of failing his subjects
The community is furious and deeply concerned about the leadership qualities of the current traditional leader. They are demanding answers to their grievances, which range from increased taxes paid to him to the opening of land for sand mining in the area.
KHUMBULA – The community is furious and deeply concerned about the leadership qualities of the current traditional leader. They are demanding answers to their grievances, which range from increased taxes paid to him to the opening of land for sand mining in the area.
According to residents, the chief is on a mission to amass wealth for his own benefit without worrying about the impoverished conditions in which his subjects live.
He has allegedly increased the prices of all services available at the tribal authority. The mere proof of residence increased from R10 to R50, and residential fees from R350 to a whopping R2 000.
“The springbok (tribute to the chief) which we pay every year has also increased from R20 per household to R100. How many households are in this village? Why does he want all the money besides his own salary that he receives every month from government?
“He is definitely abusing his power and we want the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to intervene and assist us,’’ said one of the concerned residents.
They allege that the chief and his subordinates demanded payment of Thobile MlangeniR1 500 for burial rights from bereaved families who wanted relatives who had moved to be buried in the area.
The committee also accused him of benefiting from a sandy-soil mining company. The company leaves behind huge dongas which leads to erosion and the formation of unofficial dams. The leader is also accused of firing two long-serving headsmen (tindvuna) last year without consulting with them.
Members of the community allege that in the past five years of his reign, he hardly called a community meeting, nor communicated with residents in any form. “We need him to consult with residents, call meetings and address us properly – not the way things are currently run,’’ said Mr Vava Malandule, a committee member.
He added that 15 homes, including a church built at Mgcobaneni, were apparently demolished for apparently evading the chief’s land.
However, those owners received permission of residence from another chief who claimed the piece of land was his. A planned march to hand over a memorandum to the royal kraal was recently halted by the Mbombela Local Municipality because they apparently submitted their protest applications too late.
Hundreds of residents of Khumbula and surrounding areas including Chweni, Mhlankomo, Mvangatsini, Selekane, Gutjwa, Bhuga, Halfway, Mbonisweni, Mgcobaneni who were ready to protest, were turned away on Sunday by leaders of the committee because they did not have permission to march.
Mpumalanga News learnt that some members were receiving threats from those close to the chief over this matter.
The chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders in the province, Kgoshi Mathibela Mokoena said his office did not receive complaints on levies. “I am embarrassed. This is an embarrassment to traditional leaders although levies or taxes differ from chieftaincy to chieftaincy.
However, as we have suggested, the levies cannot be uniform. As far as this case is concerned, I will consult with the chief to hear his side of the story and see where we can advise him,” said Mokoena.
He pleaded with the community not to march against the leader, but to send a delegation to the House of Traditional Leaders about their concerns. Mokoena urged traditional leaders to occasionally meet and address their subjects and not to only rely on the annual ummemo.
“A leader needs to meet with his or her community occasionally, not only when there are problems, but to discuss issues and hear their challenges,” he said.
