Tshivhase stops kingship fights

THE tussle over the Venda kingship is now water under the bridge with the main contender, Kennedy Tshivhase from the Tshivhase dynasty giving up gracefully on Friday.

Tshivhase succumbed after a court battle that ran for almost four years. He was disputing the findings of the Nhlapo Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims established by former president Thabo Mbeki in 2004.

President Jacob Zuma announced its findings in July 2010, stating that the Mphephu-Ramabulana family was the rightful heir to the throne. The Mphephu-Ramabulana house put Toni, who is the son of former Venda president Patrick Mbulaheni Mphephu-Ramabulana on the throne. Toni is the fifth chief of the Ramabulana royal council.

He said his ancestors kept telling him that he would lead the VhaVenda people to unite and develop the nation. “Now I’m going to make sure that the VhaVenda nation stops isolating each other and sings with one voice to show unity,” he said. He said even his contenders were welcome to work with him for service delivery to the Venda people.

On Friday, Tshivhase announced that with immediate effect, he and his family would support and respect Toni Mphephu-Ramabulana as the king of the Vhavenda people.

Premier Stanley Mathabatha congratulated Tshivhase for his bravery, as well as for building spirit amongst his people. Mathabatha said Tshivhase’s move should be commended because it showed that even when people differed on a few issues, as brothers they would find each other at the end. “The issues of makgoshi (traditional leaders) should be resolved by makgoshi themselves not through the courts. Their issues are known by and understood by bakgoma and bakgomana.

“Recently there have been several disputes related to chieftainship in the province. Although most disputes have been resolved through commissions, several new ones have surfaced. The consolidation of the Vhavenda kingdom under king Toni Mphephu-Ramabulana will now make it one of the most peaceful ones. The first to reconcile were the Mphaphuli, under Gole Musiiwa Mphaphuli, who decided after lengthy court cases that they would no longer contest Mphephu-Ramabulana’s kingship.

“King Toni Mphephu-Ramabulana now rules over 28 Thovheles around Venda, all these preside over 200 headmen and millions of subjects. Several meetings have been held between the kingdom and myself, in order to empower the king. They need offices and equipment so that they can execute their duties well,” Mathabatha said.