By Anita Dangazele
The Abathembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo and Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane have made peace after the king accused the premier of benefitting from extortion.
On Thursday, the Abathembu Royal Family released a statement saying that the premier and the king had a private meeting on Wednesday.
“We, as the Kingdom of Abathembu are pleased to announce that the meeting between our king and the premier has culminated in a renewed commitment to peace and cooperation between [them].
“The king and premier have put their differences aside, demonstrating their dedication to the well-being of our citizens,” the statement said.
This comes after Mabuyane opened a case of crimen injuria last week after the king publicly accused him of benefiting from extortion.
During a public meeting to address extortion in schools in the Mthatha west area, the king said: “Oscar Mabuyane, I can prove it in any court, is a beneficiary to [Sakhumzi Dalinzolo] Mareke’s stupid actions [alleged extortion]. He must prove me wrong if he believes I am wrongfully accusing him.”
Mabuyane said last week: “We are opening a case against him [the king] and against anyone who says such things without facts. We are the face of government and we are dealing with crime.
“He says things loosely and recklessly. I want police to investigate. We said we want to expose every person who might happen to be in the extortion network itself, whether it is a politician or a traditional leader.”
The statement from the royal family continued: “Please acknowledge that private matters, including legal issues, will remain confidential and be addressed accordingly.”
It said there will be more engagements between the king and the premier to resolve issues such as extortion and the province’s crime rate.
Pictured above: Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane with Abathembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo at an ANC rally in Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape in April.
Source: Facebook/@ANC Eastern Cape
