AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo says Mandla Mandela is not entitled to be a chief.
AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo says he has removed Mandla Mandela as the traditional leader of Mvezo in the Eastern Cape.
Mandla Mandela, Nelson Mandela’s grandson, was appointed the chief in this area in 2007, decades after the apartheid government had stripped the Mandela family of this title.
Dalindyebo tells Mandela to ‘leave my father’s land’
In a video making rounds on social media, Dalindyebo says Mandela does not deserve to be a chief. He also described him as having no respect for his authority.
Dalindyebo was speaking at a meeting in the Eastern Cape on the weekend.
“A chief who does not see eye to eye with me must take his belongings and leave my father’s land.
“Today I am pronouncing that Mandla Mandela is no longer the chief of Mvezo, out. He thinks we are here to play,” he said.
Dalindyebo’s spokesperson confirmed to The Citizen that the king had removed Mandela as the chief of Mvezo. He said the king will release a statement to elaborate more on his decision.
When contacted for comment by The Citizen, Mandela referred us to Dalindyebo.
“The announcement was made by HM. Therefore, I’d recommend you reach out to him or his office on the matter.”
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Dalindyebo accused Mandela of being entitled to be the chief of Mvezo.
Mandela and Dalindyebo have been at loggerheads since Dalindyebo’s recent trip to Israel. Mandela accused Dalindyebo of betraying the country’s policy on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. He also threatened to lead a campaign to remove him as king of AbaThembu.
Dalindyebo accused Mandela of being more concerned about the people of Palestine than his own people.
“Palestine must give him a place to rule; they make him a chief there. Here in the land of AbaThembu, he is no longer welcome,” he said.
A troubled relationship
This is not the first time Dalindyebo has tried removing Mandela as chief of Mvezo.
In 2013, Mandela was in trouble with the King for removing the remains of the children of Nelson Mandela from the burial place in Qunu and bringing them to Mvezo.
His family members complained that he had not consulted with them.
However, at the time, Mandela responded to Dalindyebo by describing him as “delusional”. The high court in uMthatha later ruled that the remains should be removed from Mvezo and taken to a nearby family graveyard.
The two leaders are related since Dalindyebo is Madiba’s nephew.
There were accusations that Dalindyebo’s latest stance on Israel and the US was influenced by his relationship with the founder of ATM, Caesar Nongqunga. But both the ATM and Dalindyebo denied this.
According to Dalindyebo’s spokesperson, the king remains an EFF member, despite views on Israel that contradict his party’s.
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