King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo
Durban - A representative of the Thembu Royal Council has said a successor to jailed King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo has been chosen.
However, Prince Phandulwazi Mhlontlo Dalindyebo would not give the successor’s name, the SABC reports.
This emerged after Saturday’s meeting at Bumbane Great Place outside Mthatha, in the Eastern Cape.
Prince Phandulwazi said the meeting was a success.
“There was a meeting with the sons and daughters of the king and we discussed who is going to act in the absence of the king.
“The discussion of the name of the person who is going to act is finalised.”
On Thursday, Thembu royal family spokesman Daludumo Mtirara said the king’s incarceration meant “the royal family must pick up the loose ends and take the kingdom forward”.
The Mthatha High Court had ordered that Dalindyebo hand himself over on Wednesday following his conviction and sentence for crimes that dated from the 1990s. Dalindyebo, who exhausted all legal appeals and who failed with a last-minute petition to the justice minister, has begun serving his 12-year sentence.
Correctional Services spokesman Manelisi Wolela confirmed that the king reported for prison last Wednesday.
Mtirara said the royal family “intends to rebuild its relation with the victims and their families” – the persons who had suffered as a result of Dalindyebo’s illegal actions.
The royal family has appealed to the Thembu people to remain calm.
The Mercury
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